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French K.I.S.S
French K.I.S.S

Time of India

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Time of India

French K.I.S.S

In a noisy world, can simplicity be the loudest voice? Amid today's relentless clutter, a quiet paradox emerged at last week's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity , where the biggest winners all shared one powerful trait — simplicity. 'If the works that won big at Cannes are any indication, simplicity is emerging as the holy grail for brands,' says Pallavi Chakravarti , founder and CCO, Fundamental, citing standout pieces like Budweiser's 'One Second Ads', KitKat's digital detox billboard, Tecate's 'Gulf of Mexico Bar' and Vaseline's 'Verified'. Marketers see this 'Keep It Simple, Stupid' — or K.I.S.S — trend as a response to today's media overload. 'There's an incredible amount of noise out there. The more layered the message, the harder it is to interpret or appreciate,' says Sumit Virmani , global chief marketing officer, Infosys. Harshad Rajadhyaksha, CCO at Ogilvy India, echoes this sentiment. 'In an increasingly layered, multi-screened and attention-challenged world, the value of simplicity is greater than ever,' he says. Achieving such clarity is far from easy, he warns. 'Brilliant simplicity takes work. But when done right, it always delivers the goods.' Lose the din Some brands have nailed this balance, proving that subtle and impactful messaging doesn't need loud pronouncements. KitKat's campaign by VML is a prime example. Their iconic line, 'Have a Break, Have a KitKat', was reimagined through billboards showing people absorbed in their device, with a barely-there KitKat wrapper or logo quietly urging a pause. No overt branding or lengthy explanations, just quiet, powerful storytelling. Marketers call it 'a masterclass in subtlety and impact'. 'The campaign celebrated the consumer's intelligence, trusting them to understand the message without being spoon-fed. It's a prime example of creativity cutting through the noise to make a lasting impression,' says Harsh Kapadia , CCO, Grey India. Stella Artois's 'Claustrobars' campaign by Grey took a similar approach. The beer brand captured a universally relatable experience — the mini-odyssey of navigating a crowded bar, carefully shielding your drink from spills and bumps. With almost cinematic realism, the ads showcased those uncomfortable yet triumphant moments: A slight grimace and an unwavering focus on the glass. The message was clear and powerful: 'Worth It'. Again, no massive logos or walls of text — just confident, understated advertising that didn't find the need to overexplain itself. The result? A campaign that struck a chord with viewers and prompted them to say: 'I feel you.' 'This kind of confidence in messaging is crucial. It makes advertising less ignorable and more impactful,' says Kapadia. 'In a country as diverse as India, where visual identity can transcend language barriers, such powerful visual advertising holds immense potential.' Loud and clear Budweiser's one-second ad, which won the Grand Prix in the audio segment at Cannes, is touted as another example of simple yet brilliant execution. The brand tapped into a sharp musical insight: True music lovers can identify a song from its very first beat. This became the basis of a bold and innovative idea — an 'unskippable' audio challenge where they aired commercials that played just the opening second of well-known songs. 'To expect sustained, undistracted focus, especially on digital, is to hope in vain,' says Shubhranshu Singh , global CMO for commercial vehicles at Tata Motors. 'Short-form content needs to be simple to be digested quickly. But when it's relevant, emotionally engaging or rewarding, it can still hold attention — even deepen it.' Virmani adds that social media has only intensified the challenge. 'Brands need to communicate value in seconds, often without sound, across screens. And complex brand messages simply don't translate.' And that's why Budweiser resonated with marketers and agency folks. Cause and effect A 'simply' powerful idea can also exceed its true purpose. Take German grocery chain Penny's 'Penny Price Packs', which converted its packaging into a prominent pricing display. Icaro Doria, Print jury president at Cannes Lions , described it as a seamless blend of print, publishing, packaging, price and positioning — all rolled into one. 'Creativity doesn't have to try too hard or be too clever to be 'award worthy',' says Mithila Saraf , CEO, Famous Innovations. 'The best work is universally appealing and profound in its commitment to a single-minded promise.' Until a few years ago, purpose-driven creativity with measurable impact set the tone. In 2023, winners such as Renault's 'Plug-Inn' (France), a peer-to-peer charging app, and Apple's 'Relax, It's iPhone – R.I.P. Leon' (USA), a humourous take on iPhone's 'unsend' feature, highlighted everyday anxieties in a relatable way. But in 2024, brand rulebooks were tossed aside. Coca-Cola's 'Recycle Me' (Print and Publishing Grand Prix) distorted its iconic logo on crushed cans to drive home a recycling message. Meanwhile, Coors Light turned a baseball-damaged billboard into commemorative cans with 'Coors Lights Out', showcasing agile moment marketing. Kapadia hopes Indian advertising can raise the game and embrace this simplicity that respects and celebrates consumer intelligence. 'On the one hand, we say our consumers are smart, yet we often try to over-explain or lean heavily on celebrity voices. Simple ideas break through everything else and make it memorable.' But Chakravarti points out the fundamental truth: 'We appreciate, applaud and felicitate simplicity more than we practise it. In the real world, agencies struggle to distil the chaos of briefs into clarity. [It's] Strange, but true.'

Airtel and Fundamental vs. Financial Fraud
Airtel and Fundamental vs. Financial Fraud

Time of India

time29-05-2025

  • Business
  • Time of India

Airtel and Fundamental vs. Financial Fraud

HighlightsIn 2024, Airtel became India's first Spam Fighting Network by utilizing artificial intelligence to screen spam calls and texts in real time, analyzing over 250 parameters. Airtel's new initiative, The Safe Network, aims to combat financial fraud by recognizing and blocking malicious links across various digital platforms, ensuring that fraudulent links do not open for users. The campaign promoting this service, directed by Ram Madhvani, emphasizes Airtel's commitment to customer safety with the reassuring message 'Kuch Nahi Hoga', indicating that Airtel is protecting its customers. In 2024 telco giant Airtel became India's first Spam Fighting Network. Leveraging both, the scale of their network and the power of AI, the company started screening spam calls and texts in real time, analysing over 250 parameters to identify these nuisances and sending consumers an Airtel Warning whenever they received such calls or messages. But the battle against what is arguably the biggest cyber-menace facing people today was far from won. Scams are rampant, ever-evolving and claiming new victims every day. Being a brand that has its ears to the ground, Airtel realised through numerous customer interactions that the problem wasn't restricted to calls and texts alone. Links emerged as a serious cause for concern - because they are omnipresent on the internet and often the first step to getting scammed. Partnering with indie agency Fundamental, Airtel has responded with a solution to this wide-spread issue. Enter: The Safe Network . Using AI, Airtel will now be able to recognise and block malicious links . Which means that even if unsuspecting people are now pressurised or duped into clicking on them, fraudulent links just won't open. The objective is to come down hard on financial fraud and minimise it to the extent possible, by rendering such links 'unclickable'. Airtel will be able to identify suspicious links regardless of which platform they are served to consumers on - chat apps, social media, search engines, email - links on any or all of these channels will be flagged by the system and blocked. And once again, this service is available to every Airtel customer without the hassle of a separate app download or additional fees. The brand has gone live with its latest campaign to announce the launch of this service. The spots have been directed by Ram Madhvani of Equinox Films. Speaking about working with Airtel towards this solution, Pallavi Chakravarti, founder and chief creative officer at Fundamental said, 'Most consumers are plagued with the worry that despite being vigilant they may slip up and click on something malicious - what happens then? with the simple but reassuring ' Kuch Nahi Hoga ' we're sending out an emphatic message: Airtel has your back.' Watch the videos here:

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