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Dosti ka No#1 spirit fails to make friends
The real light moment in this commercial comes only towards the end, which wears the viewers’ patience thin
Anjali Kispotta
New Delhi
Storyline
In the new McDowell’s No 1 Soda campaign by DDB Mudra South, Purab Kohli and Meiyang Chang are seen trying their luck at the game of pool. Suddenly, Zoa Morani steps in and wagers a ‘double or nothing’ bet and beats them. Pumped up with the win, she moves on to Cyrus Sahukar and places another bet, which she — voila! wins again.
The camera now shifts to the only star cast in the campaign, Akhtar. Morani questions Akhtar’s confidence in the team he is supporting, betting ‘triple or nothing’. As luck, or the DDB Mudra’s creative team would have it, she loses the bet this time. As Akhtar walks out, a friend reminds him to take out the DVD that he has been watching. That’s when Morani realises that she has been conned.
Idea [2.5/5]
For McDowell’s No 1 Soda campaign, the lingering thought lies in ‘the spirit of friendship’ that for some reason fails to strike a chord with the audience. Morani’s smart line ‘double or nothing’ really means nothing until Akhtar shows up and salvages the commercial from being seen as a no-star campaign. The McDowell’s IPL Deccan Chargers TVC with Adam Gilchrist was a much better projection of happy hours with friends both on and off the field.
Execution [2/5]
Friendship shown through sporty challenges played by a girl, who bets triple or nothing on a cricket match she has barely been following seems more superficial than friendly. However, if one were to stick around till the end to find out the actual light moment, which viewers of Indian commercials typically don’t, the slim chances are, you might find something refreshing.
Technique [2.5/5]
The technique used to sell a product that has no connection with the plot is average. The campaigns done around soda, cassettes and CDs thrive on the humour quotient which the five friends fail to evoke here.
Positioning [2/5]
Kohli and Chang make an interesting start but are quickly overshadowed by a girl who goes around wagering bets and ends up getting trapped in her own game.
X Factor [3/5]
The only X-factor that the 60-minute-long commercial seems to have is in Farhan Akhtar, albeit he makes a guest appearance in the script only towards the fag end.
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