Lay's new advert modelled along the lines of a movie song

For the past couple of weeks, Lay's has dedicated all its communications to its 'Smile' campaign. The most recent addition to its advertising list for the campaign is the launch of the 'Smile Deke Dekho' musical film, featuring brand ambassador Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. One could likely confuse the almost three minute long film with a Bollywood song, given the look and feel of it. The brand has positioned the ad as a masthead on YouTube.

What's interesting apart from the hook step of the song is that the Pepsico owned brand released a couple of 30-second TVCs before the release of the song – which to us, look like a precursor to the song.

About the latest film, Dilen Gandhi, senior director, marketing – foods category, PepsiCo India, wrote in a LinkedIn post, “I love short-form advertising. Not only is it more efficient, it also encourages creativity. However, every once in a while, one come across an idea where one can do so much more. Like bringing together some of the best music and acting talent in the industry to express the idea in a much more expansive and hopefully, memorable way. In these troubled times, our humble attempt to encourage one and all to #SmileDekeDekho.”

The first look of the campaign was revealed by the brand on World Smile Day (October 2) through a teaser on social media wherein the brand ambassadors were seen exchanging smiles using Lay's packs.

In another post dedicated to the campaign, Gandhi wrote, “Every marketer realises the times in one's career, when one is truly blessed with the privilege of being a part of something remarkable. The #smiledekedekho musical is one of those times for me. Truly fantastic talent - Amit Trivedi, Sunidhi Chauhan, Nakash, Vayu - bringing to life a simple and joyful idea. Give it a listen on any music platform of your choosing.”

The chips brand, launched in 1965, introduced the campaign with the launch of a limited period packaging featuring six different smiles that capture different moods and emotions through various flavours. The brand collaborated with influencers across categories to introduce customised packaging.

The campaign has been conceptulalised and executed by Wunderman Thompson. “The journey started with packaging design - giving each flavour the smile that went best with it. Then we went live with spots featuring the Bollywood duo - casting them in TVCs as strangers, acquaintances and as a couple - where they taught the country how to use the packs. We’re also live on mobile screens across the country - giving those hooked to it, reason enough to look up, and share a smile with the lovely people around them,” mentions Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson, in a press release issued by the brand.

We at afaqs! reached out to design experts from the industry to get their take on the packaging change. Alpana Parida, managing director at DY Works, thought it was a bold move by the company. “Consumers today are looking for newer experiences. In such a scenario, newness in packaging leads to greater trials and consumers staying with the brand for a little longer,” she says. She also mentions that for FMCG products with a high turn, bringing newness to packaging is the fastest way to communicate the idea of fun and coolness.

However, we wonder if the brand will stand out with the long format ad film, as many other brands have tried the concept in the past.

To Jagdish Acharya, founder and creative head, Cut The Crap – a brand-building creative ad agency - the idea seems inspired by Coke’s Project Connect – relationships on a bottle.

He finds a smile on a packet of chips too simplistic an idea to start any kind of trend. He says, "And song-and-dance is as old as song and dance. But having said that, the music video-ad is enjoyable. The music is peppy, the dance moves are sticky. It’s also a break from the category trap of trying hard to be funny,” he says.

Aalap Desai, executive creative director at Dentsu Webchutney, feels that as an extension of the campaign, the music video is a great approach to use the celebrity power the brand has. The celebrities are in their most natural forms in the campaign and the product is a seamless integration in the video, he says.

“The consumer is now used to longer formats of communications and with the mix of talent that they have in this one, it will end up being one of the most memorable pieces in their communication mix,” he opines.

He finds the execution charming and points out that adding a signature step makes it more appealing to the audience the brand caters to. “In my opinion, it is one of the few examples of harmonious brand integration we have today.”