Airtel Hello Tune Ad Featuring Saif & Kareena
| {Double click to view larger video} |
Tagline: Gaana bolo, Hello Tune paao
Agency: Rediffusion DY&R [Need to confirm]
Duration: 45 seconds
First seen: January ‘09
Ad Message: Introducing new Hello Tune service from Airtel (Dial 543215 to get your desired caller tune)
Target Audience: All Airtel subscribers (15+ years age group)
Frequency: High
Description: The ad begins with Saif Ali Khan busy playing video games when Kareena Kapoor sits on the couch next to him. She says “Talk to me na baby” while Saif snubs her “Not now, bebo”. Not backing off, she asks the name of the song he was humming the day before and Saif curtly replies with ‘Pyaar hua, Ikraar hua”. She then wheedles him to set the song as her caller tune right there or else the game is over. Just when you think she has had her breakthrough in taking Saif’s attention away from the game, he just dials a number, blurts out the song title and tosses the cellphone back in Kareena’s hands. A shocked Kareena just manages to say “ho gaya?” while Saif goes back to his game in peace. The ad ends with the voiceover – “Gaana bolo, hello tune pao. Simple. Dial 543215.”
[Caution: Strictly opinionated comments follow]
What an unabashed lift from the Tata Sky Aamir-Gul spots…the irreverent husband, the mellow music, the focus on the dialogue, even the couch and backdrop…the similarities are only too glaring. One might contend that Airtel was the one to start this trend with their Madhavan-Vidya series; but it was definitely Tata Sky who took it to the next level by weaving the product benefits with a delightful story each time.
Now that I have gotten that itch out of the way, I have to say it is watchable nonetheless. Saif and Kareena are looking good together and they get to play lighthearted, real characters for a change (though Kareena’s hamming gene gets the better of her at times). The girl gets her song, the guy gets his PlayStation, the idea gets conveyed and everyone is generally happy…seems like feel-good-advertising has arrived big-time. The fact that Airtel is promoting this feature via multiple platforms further helps – promo spot in Indian Idol, tie-up with the movie promos of Victory et al.
Well, I may be highly unimpressed with the choice of this overexposed jodi or the déjà-vu feeling I get because of the Tata Sky ads, but then I am not the one ecstatic about the availability of caller tunes one-phone-call-away. In the benefit of Airtel, the young 13-25 year olds most likely to use this feature would be ready to drool over Saif or Kareena (or both 
) and will lap it all up. So good for them!
But my ratings are -
| Weight | Rating | W * R | |
| Idea/Innovation/Creativity | 15 | 0.5 | 7.5 |
| Execution | |||
| Storyline/Screenplay | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Music/Jingle | 10 | 5 | 50 |
| Cinematography | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| Acting | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| Duration vs Impact | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| Cost vs Impact | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| Recall | 0 | ||
| Brand Recall | 10 | 7 | 70 |
| Ad Memorability | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| Tagline | 7.5 | 4 | 30 |
| Product Association | 5 | 7 | 35 |
| Target Audience Connect | 7.5 | 7.5 | 56.25 |
| Entertainment | 5 | 5 | 25 |
| Claim | 2.5 | 7 | 17.5 |
| Emotional Appeal | 2.5 | 5 | 12.5 |
| Total | 100 | 454 |
Weighted Average Rating: 454/100 = 4.54 (on a scale of 10)
Subscribe by Email
Reasons your blog doesn’t impress me:
1. Quoting famous mathematician Hardy- “Exposition, criticizm and appreciation are products of second rate minds.” Try and give your own storyline after ad-description, thats all.
2.Your assessment has no basis and thus holds no importance to Company nor the Ad agency that makes the ad. Company cares abt revenues and agency abt the client requirements.
3.Your rhetoric and oh-so-funny comments can be given on any ad, and i wonder whether you can give an ad 0 or a perfect 10 on your scale.Thus most ads would be in a 5-7 range. So u hold more or less the same opinion on most of the ads.
4. Can an ad flunk on ur parameters and still be an impactful ad. If yes, then ur parameters are insufficient.
5. I apologize for doing what you do…criticize
Strictly opinionated comments follow
January 15, 2009 at 7:58 pm
@Strictly Opinionated Comments:
Quoting famous mathematician Hardy- “Exposition, criticizm and appreciation are products of second rate minds.” Try and give your own storyline after ad-description, thats all.
Let me take this as an opportunity to explain you the basis of my reviews:
1. I am just a part of the common audience (you can call it ‘aam aadmi’ to be precise) and trying to reflect what they feel (noticed the polling button at the end?). In fact, before giving my rating to an ad, I do consult the ad with my colleagues. And yes, the discussion is a very basic one – not in terms of ad-jargon, but general stuff – what they liked and what they did not.
2.Your assessment has no basis and thus holds no importance to Company nor the Ad agency that makes the ad. Company cares abt revenues and agency abt the client requirements.
2. Before starting this blog (or now while writing reviews), I never keep the companies or ad agencies in mind. It is just a plain set of things that I liked/disliked about the ad. I don’t care if it holds or doesn’t hold any importance to them. But of course, it will be good for them if they care for what people feel about them. Cause the so-called revenues you mentioned come from the audience aka ‘potential customer’.
3. Your rhetoric and oh-so-funny comments can be given on any ad, and i wonder whether you can give an ad 0 or a perfect 10 on your scale.Thus most ads would be in a 5-7 range. So u hold more or less the same opinion on most of the ads.
3. The reason why there has been no 0-rated ad yet could be that I generally avoid writing reviews on things that really don’t deserve my and more importantly my readers’ time. But if you care so much about them, I will not mind writing about a couple of them. After all, I care for my audience
4. And why there has been no 10-rated ad? This is because I trust our ad industry that they will always come up with something better. So haven’t yet awarded anybody as the top notch.
5. I apologize for doing what you do…criticize
Well to put things in perspective, here is another quote to reflect the spirit with which I review ads – “If you have no critics, you’ll likely have no success.” And since my own blog has a couple now, I think it might just be successful, so thank you!
AsMi
January 16, 2009 at 7:10 am
@Strictly Opinionated Comments: Although I do not always agree with what all famous personalities say/said, this one is particularly interesting. In fact, Hardy could have gone beyond this and extended his quote by rating a mind that criticizes a critic!!
Keep Rocking AsMi, you have arrived!
Romil
January 16, 2009 at 7:18 am
A slight misunderstanding-
I apologize (to Hardy) for doing what you do…criticize
@Romil- If you find his quote particularly interesting try and read his paper: “A mathematician’s apology ” You might learn a thing or two about what i meant.
Strictly opinionated comments follow
January 16, 2009 at 8:26 am
Hey Asmi,
I did find the lift from Tata Sky mily annoying but not as much as the Saifeena overdose I’m being subjected to courtesy Airtel. Honestly, there was the “IT HURTS” ad, the Kareena-tossing-flowers-out-the-window ad, the Airtel digital tv ad…gyah.
Now before i start another flaming war here (i am not getting involved in the one above) Please let me state that I generally grab the remote and change channels before I’m five seconds into it. I’m sorry, the message may be great, but for me, Saifeena only inspires a terse, hardly contained gag.
krystalmage
January 16, 2009 at 11:44 am
@Krystalmage: Ohh what a blessing to have people like you around on this blog! The ad does get boring after a couple of dekkos and as I mentioned in the post this jodi is overexposed and if I may add, overrated too.
AsMi
January 16, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I completely agree! I mean, there ARE other people out there! actors, models, kids, animals even!….*sigh*
krystalmage
January 16, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Hi Asmi,
Long time no see! It’s been more than a week now since you last posted a review. C’mon dude, we are waiting!!
-romil
romil
January 21, 2009 at 7:40 am
asmi@ I agree to the T with your views,
@ Strictly opinionated this is her blog and these are her views, they can hardly be categorised as critisizm
maya
January 23, 2009 at 7:25 am
@maya: Thanks for your support, much needed.
@romil: I am here, I am here. Will post soon.
AsMi
January 23, 2009 at 10:52 am
So many ads…Where are u?
Vipul
January 23, 2009 at 11:14 am
Anyone know where the background music is from??
Navjot
January 25, 2009 at 8:19 am
the ad is not only boring but also irritating,
kareena crosses the height of ANIMATED expressions in this one….
shekhar
February 13, 2009 at 9:25 am
Here’s a bit of trivia about this ad: Apparently Kareena and Saif were shot separately. And then during edit, they were “copy-pasted” (if I can use this term) together.
Neeraj
February 16, 2009 at 5:50 am
@neeraj…i dont think so…
shekhar
February 17, 2009 at 10:05 am
@Neeraj: That’s a cool bit of trivia. Now I am waiting for the day they can ‘copy-paste’ some emotions on Kareena’s face.
AsMi
February 18, 2009 at 11:43 am