Really Really Bad Indian Advertisements

Millions of advertisements are churned every year hoping to endorse prodcts and services with most of them failing to reach their mark. A majority of ads go unnoticed and only a handful leave a lasting impression thanks to the creative genius, the sheer star appeal of the ad (read budget running into crores) or a catchy jingle albeit absolute nonsense.

Its safe to say a majority of them border on being boring to outright stupid but that’s not enough to make an ad really really bad. A bad\ boring ad would make you switch the channel but a really really bad ad is the one which makes you a watch in shock and disbelief sometimes even horror and amazement all at the same time.

If you feel yourself,

1. Wanting to watch the ad again to be sure of what you just saw
2. Wanting to adjust the antenna or set-top box to check if poor transmission jumbled a few ads
3. Wanting to know if the film makers were actualy paid for the job
4. Wanting to know if the script writer was having an affair with the director’s wife
5. Wanting to know more about the management that approved the ad especially the B-schools they went to and their current salary structures
6. Wanting to know if the ad film was a solo master piece or part of a bigger campaign with more to look forward to
7. Wanting to know about job opportunities in the ad film industry
8. Wanting to use the product out of sympathy
9. Wanting to swtich the TV off and ponder over how you became a couch potato
10. Wanting to write a blog entry about how bad it was and how not to make an ad

Yep, it’s a really really bad ad.



Name: Mahindra Rodeo
Year: 2010

I think Mahindra confused their scooter for a stunt bike or something else.
The ad has a rider trying his hands at dirt scooting (formerly dirt biking) and stunt scooting (formerly stunt biking) and just when you think you've seen enough it gets better with the tagline, "I can do all this But I don't because when you have real power you don't need to show it".



Name: Chlormint (Salman Khan and the [unicorn]Cows)
Year: 2010

I will try and sumarize the ad below,

1. Cows with 3 horns (it is later revealed the the horn is actually an ice-cream cone)
2. The same cows pop chlormints and produce vanilla cream
3. Some asian school/ college girls wondering "Yeh teen sing wala guy...why??"

and the savior Salman Khan.



Name: JK Cement
Year: 2010

The tagline for the product is "Vishwas Hai, Isme Kuch Khaas Hai”. Now say this while imagining a baywatch lifeguard coming out of the sea. Now add to it a packet of Cement and you have the new JK Cement advertisement.

The first time I watched this ad my innocent brain ran from sun blocks to sun glasses to travel operators even Tourism Goa but a few seconds into it all guesswork had been moved out of the equation as the JK Cement logo appeared causing fissures in my head.

It makes no sense till now and I am not ready to believe the ad film makers could not come up with some thing more relevant for a 10 second commercial. See it to believe it!



Name: IBIBO.com (IBIBO Farms)
Year: 2010

There a lot of advertisements out there with double meanings and similar jokes but there is something about this one that makes it really really bad. There are some rules in life that should not be broken.

1. You do not copy the most popular social networking site in the world.
2. You do not copy the most popular game from the most popular social networking site in the world.
3. You do not make an advertisement where girls impress guys with their melons.

Name: Micromax Mobile (Featuring Akshay Kumar)
Year: 2010

Ok, if Nintendo can do it so can Micromax. Full marks for motion gaming in a cell phone but please exlpain to me why.. why would you make an ad like this?? Whats worse than this ad is the fact that it permiered during the IPL so you end up watching it atleat a thousand times a day. I can’t even imagine the agony of the batsmen and the spectators when this plays on the big screen in the stadium, some of them pay good money for those seats. People with free passes deserve it. My best wishes to Micromax Mobile, Good Luck selling your phone with this ad.

Ehahahahaha haha ah ha hahahahaha Muahahahahaha ha ahahaha hahaha hahahahahahahahaaaa



Name: Karbonn Mobile (Featuring Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir)
Year: 2010

I follow cricket, I am a fan of Sehwag, I think Gautam Gambhir is a good batsman and I think this ad is as bad as it gets. It’s a short ad and I will keep it short too – “You cannot sell anything and everything in the name of cricket”. I am not sure about one thing, are Sehwag and Gambir laughing because the ad demands it and or at the creative minds behind this advertisement.



Name: Lemon Mobile Phones
Year: 2010

“Aasman mein bharosa is par aur zameen par mera Lemon mobile”

Well, the tagline may not blow your mind but one look at the ad and you know you’ve seen something special. There is a jet plane, an Air-Force pilot and a mobile phone in this advertisement, no points for guessing or trying to figure out some logic, it makes no sense. Watch it for the effect where the phone drops from jet and appears in the pilot’s hand!