With the IPL broadcasting (deferred) live on YouTube, the Twenty20 bug also seem to have bitten Google Chrome.
Came across this online ad for Google Chrome:
Fast cricket
in a fast browser.
Get Chrome
by Google
I stay on the 12th floor of a 14-storey apartment building. This morning I had to rush to work and was waiting for the elevator and it stopped at every floor before it could reach mine.
No, as in the new Tata Sky Plus (Tata Sky+) ad my wife isn't to blame. In fact I made a premptive purchase of a Tata Sky Plus DVR just before I got married.
And this has been happening quite frequently ever since the ad in question (see below) began airing on TV. I suspect that is either disgruntled women (the IPL season is on) or inspired kids (more likely) pressing all the buttons. Whatever the reason, it's me doing the waiting.
The guys at O&M should think of the consequences when they come up with ideas that give people ideas (they also have wives at home, unless they already have a Tata Sky Plus or multiple TVs)
Tata Sky Plus - Cold War (Elevator / Lift)
My woes apart, the ads are fun. Here a couple more from the Tata Sky Plus 'Cold War' series:
Tata Sky Plus - Cold War (Burnt Toast)
Tata Sky Plus - Cold War (Mixie)
One day, in the comparatively innocent times that we grew up in, a friend announced, "I had oral sex." I and another friend present were stupefied. We were still in school. "Come, again," (no pun intended) we said. He repeated the four shattering words again, with extra emphasis.
Curious, we prodded for details and it turned out that our 'sexually gratified' pal had just talked a bit about sex with a girl on the phone. Being more enlightened, courtesy the agony column in The Teenager and quite a few magazines that we weren't exactly supposed to read then, we let our naive friend know of the dictionary meaning of oral sex.
But the times they have changed. When school kids nowadays talk of love, it isn't always platonic, as in our times (Damn, I already feel old). 
Even newspapers do not shy away from advertising for fellatio services, as I discovered today. The massage parlour and escort services ads have been around for many years. Objections were raised, but such ads still fill in many column centimetres of the classifieds pages.
Since I'm on the look out for a new house, was scanning Times Classifieds, that comes along with the Sunday Times of India for properties. Under the 'Massage Parlours' head I discovered at least two ads quite brazenly peddling oral sex services. Only they interchanged a couple of letters (blowjob becomes blwojob), taking a cue from the spammers.
BANGKOK-STYLE-YOU-WORLD.CLASS Blwojob Ser Like Beautiful Charming Good Looking girl fully trained service staff CALL ASSH # 99********Is it just me, or is there a striking similarity between the wordings of matrimonial ads and the ones above?
REFRESHING.YOU-WORLD.CLASS Blwojob Ser By Beautiful Charming Good looking girl fully trained service staff Call KASHISH. 98********
There is nothing new about the news of news being paid for. I first became aware of this practice as a mass communication student in the early 2000s. To me, then, it seemed that it was not just news but the soul that is being bartered. The feeling still holds true.
Even this insignificant blog of mine, has been approached for 'sponsored blogging'. Interestingly, when I refused the money and and gave them a counter offer: That they let me know of topics and ideas that would interest me and I would post about them for free. But it seems that they don't like their work done for free. Strange, isn't it?
Today there was an nice piece in The Sunday Express titled "News, Sponsored." The contents of the article wouldn't be surprising for people who are in the business of the media, we have learnt to take it in our stride. A necessary evil for some.
Friends in the Hindi news channels term such content ad ki khabar (ads as news) and they usually get preference over other genuine news content. Obviously so, because there's money in it.
Such initiatives by the media organisations could be beneficial in these cash-strapped times, but the long term implications may be adverse. News is associated with credibility and when the credibility starts to wash off, so does the bottom line.
Or is it so? There are newspapers that don't give much of a damn to credibility and still sit atop the readership figures. There are news channels that have ceased to be news channels but draw the highest TRPs. We all thought that it was just a passing fad and Indians will tire of such content and see the light. But the light doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.
Even though being in the media (not the mainstream media, but a wing that'll be the mainstream soon), I have started to rely more on the opinions of individuals who are unassociated with the media: the bloggers, the twitterers, the forums. I think I can still trust them. For me, professionally, it isn't a good signal.
[Image courtesy: The Sunday Express]
Quite a long while ago when I had initiated (and now reviving) the Fantastic Females series on this blog, the name Lisa Ray was on the top of the list of all the fantastic females that I wanted to feature.
While a comprehensive post on Lisa Ray will take quite some effort to put together, here's an ad when Lisa made men's formal wear look irresistibly hot.
This ad (one in the series of many) for Bombay Dyeing's Vivaldi readymade garments for men didn't have any of the skin show that we generally tend to associate with Sexy Indian Ads. But it is a worthy addition to the collection.
Earlier, in my excitement, I had confused Aliya Knightley for Lisa Ray (Hope, I haven't repeated the error. The two look so similar.)
Hindustan Times seems to have a thing for makeovers. I remember seeing atleast four different avatars of the newspaper.
Good. Change is good.
Though I didn't quite like their print campaign advertising the all new Hindustan Times, their short TV ads do make a point and hit the paper right on the head, literally.
Here are four TVCs from the Hindustan Times 'it is time' campaign.
Ironically, the 'Better Journalism' ad is also being aired on news channels.
Better Journalism
Open Our Minds
Stop Panicking
Being Cynical
One of the highlights of the Mahabharat (you can watch the complete episodes of the original TV serial here) was Draupadi's cheer haran. And one of the wittiest Bollywood movies Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron also incorporated that in the climax.
Ekta Kapoor's tried to add a twist to the great epic with her Kahani Hamare Mahabharat Ki and instead of beginning from the beginning, she started the serial with Draupadi's cheer haran. The serial bombed.
If we conduct a poll on the most memorable scene from the Mahabharat, I doubt if anything else can pip the tale of the endless saree.
I found an (amusing) ad on the same theme. While logic says they should be selling sarees with the idea, it is for a brand of blouses - Citizen Sweety Blouse.
Playing the role of Draupadi is Preeti Jhangiani, the Chui Mui girl (I'll prefer to remember her for those videos only). They had also roped in the original Shakuni, Gufi Paintal. So powerful is the impact of the colourful blouses that the blind King Dhritrashtra's eyes pop out (aankhe phaad phaad dekha). Aap bhi dekho.
Download video [00:00:30 FLV 670 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:30 AVI 3.07 MB]
Channel [V] India - is going for a makeover (on August 22) and they are advertising it all over. This 'peek into the changing room' ad is from their change campaign. They even have a website up to drive the excitement.
When I first saw the ad, must admit, it totally fooled me. I thought that someone has uploaded one of those voyeur mobile phone recordings (aka MMS clips) of changing rooms at stores. But it is not (else it wouldn't have been on this blog).
Others who have seen this share similar experiences. Some thought they had accidentally a reached porn site. Good idea. Inexpensive to execute. Good fun.
It's been quite a while since I posted a condom ad. So here it is:
Partner premium quality flavoured dotted condoms.
Looks like Medikit got this ad made from an in-house intern.
And much like Kamasutra's 'Jusk Ask for KS', you'll have to ask your chemist for a 'PC'.
Chances are, he might just direct to the nearest Nehru Place like computer hardware hub or better still, send you to North Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi, to go find the Home Minister.
Sherlyn Chopra (previously known as Mona Chopra) is one of the most 'revealing' starlets of Bollywood. And now she (following the likes of Shilpa Shetty, Mahima Chaudhary, Amisha Patel, Isha Koppikar and John Abraham) poses for a PETA ad.
Since the ad is for PETA India, we don't get to see her naked, a two piece is what the Indian sensibilities have been stretched to, yet. Though she, lying on a bed, is chained at the ankle and weilds a whip. 
Photographed by Rakesh Shrestha, the tagline of the ad reads "Whips and chains belong in the bedroom, not in the circus." This ad is the latest in the PETA series against animals in entertainment.
The problem with Bajaj Auto is that they are always in a hurry to launch new products and variations and they also discontinue the old brands and variations at an equal pace.
For the consumers such a constant endeavour to makes things better is good, but then there is always the feeling that if one had waited a little longer, he might have got something better.
The latest mean machine from the Bajaj stable is the Pulsar 220 DTS-i and they are promoting it as the fastest thing on Indian roads. And they have (I assume the agency is Oglivy) put up a TVC that's a combo of slowmo and pace.
The ad (titled 'Slow Jack') has a Wild West feel. A wanted criminal is robbing a bank at his own easy pace and the law enforcers are arriving fast. The robber is nonchalant. He sits on his Pulsar 220 and poof! he is gone.
Watch the ad:
Download video [00:01:02 FLV 1.39 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:02 AVI 5.88 MB]
'The Fastest Indian' is the catchline. Unlike other Bajaj (particularly Pulsar ads) this doesn't have any zipping bikes. In fact in this ad you can hardly get good look at the bike. Though the idea is nice, somehow the impact is a bit amiss. The first time I watched the ad, it didn't hit me as the makers would have liked it to.
Since bringing an Indian angle in a Wild West American set up might seem a little difficult (unless you transport Quick Gun Murugan to the banks of the Mississippi), they bank robber has American Indian features (I think so), and he disappears fast before the long (and fast) hands of the law catches up with him. Hence, 'the fastest Indian'. Never mind if he is red.
And in case you like the track, you can download an MP3 audio file from here. Since Bajaj Auto have themselves put it up, I'm saving myself the hassle of uploading it.
Why are most men's deo ads in India the same. There are numerous other ways to be sexy. Come on agencies you can do better. Anyway another for the collection.
Download video [00:00:33 FLV 720 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:40 AVI 2.37 MB]
But then this is not the real purpose of this post. Yesterday, Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 and one of the far-reaching features is the native support for HTML 5 audio and video with Ogg Theora, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV formats. In the not-so distant future, this is going to change how multimedia content is served on the Web. Proprietary formats like Flash and Silverlight would not rule the roost.
A simple sample of HTML 5 embedded video and audio of the Fuel deo TVC:
Video:
Download video [00:00:33 OGG 732 KB
Audio:
Download audio [00:00:33 OGG 144 KB]
But the obsolete Web browser Internet Explorer 6 is the biggest impediment to the growth of the new Internet. One of the major pains while launching any new website is the compatibility with IE6. More than a third (38 percent) of the readers of this blog are still on IE6 and that's a huge slice.
And one of the major roadblocks to existing Firefox users upgrading to the Firefox 3.5 is the incompatibility of so many add-ons with the latest version. Maybe Mozilla should put a check in place that add-on developers upgrade their stuff. But then, the free nature of the Firefox browser would go against such curbs.
Learn more about Firefox and HTML 5 video and audio.
IIPM is again making news, of the wrong kind of course. Many thanks to Careers 360 for bringing to light, again, the truth beind the tall claims by IIPM.
Incidentally Outlook, also published by Maheshswer Peri, had banished the institute from its B-school rankings. But that didn't prevent IIPM from flaunting Outlook's ranking on its ads.
Though for many this wouldn't be news. Back in 2005 IIPM had brought in some excitement to the Indian blogosphere because of something similar.
But unfortunately this story has to be repeated over and over again. IIPM hasn't learnt any lesson, not that we expected it to, and continues making pompous claims in full-page ads on major national dailies (I doubt any of those would publish any negative news on IIPM) and students still fall for such arrogates.
Therefore it becomes a responsibility for people who are aware of the facts to disseminate the other side of the story at regular intervals. We might not have the resources for full-page colour ads but we have the strength of community and we should use it for the advantage of the unsuspecting and gullible students who spend lakhs of their parents earnings for a 'degree' whose worth is under question.
And here's the joke of the week:
Move over London, Wharton, Harvard here comes "The Greatest B-School on Earth" IIPM!
Arindam Chaudhuri's vocabulary seems to be limited to superlatives (and someone please fire his designer. On second thoughts, don't. I want my laughs.). Or he is a firm subscriber of the famous adage favoured by the Nazis "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed."
I think people with access to Shah Rukh Khan should advise him to reconsider his association with IIPM. People tend to falsely add credibility to whatever a star endorses. I, on my part, have sent a tweet to the Twitter account believed to be Shah Rukh's.
And there's also Planman CHE (Centre for Higher Education) and the logo, you guessed it, the star on Che Guevara's beret.
Prospective students should be very wary of the ads published by institutes and always read the fine print. I happened to notice this on yesterday's edition of The Indian Express.
Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute University, Chennai, advertisess itself as "India's No. 4 University" but the fact is that it ranks fourth (according to a Financial Express study) only amongst the universities established after 2000. Though to their credit, it is mentioned in the ad, but something that could easlily miss the eye.
By the way, what happened to the multi-crore lawsuit fromm 2005? Only bow-wow-wow?
In a bid to retain its mammoth share of the internet browser market, Microsoft is trying to better its offering, now that more and more people are getting aware of the other better options out there. And they have also released a set of new fun ads for Internet Explorer 8 in India. It shouldn't matter that, for me, Firefox is still more fun.
I've found four such ads and each highlights one prominent feature of the browser.
Automatic crash recovery
Download video [00:00:46 FLV 921 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:46 AVI 4.02 MB]
This one is a parody of the much drooled after ad for Hardee's Western Bacon Thickburger where Padma Lakshmi lustily savours a burger.
Accelerators
Download video [00:01:00 FLV 1.29 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:00 AVI 5.48 MB]
A take on the MTV India Roadies auditions and the kinky selection process. They call it the Coadies. On a slightly different track, the MTV show is supposed to be about roads and bike riding - hence the name - but half of the participants can't even ride a bike. It isn't that Indian girls don't ride bikes, a lot do, but I think that such girls don't care much about such shows and their gas-filled producers.
Security
Download video [00:00:58 FLV 1.34 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:58 AVI 6.02 MB]
Every guy's ultimate fantasy (girls' too), to go invisible. Some call it the porn mode. And this is what I believe that this TVC is not-so-subtly hinting at. Guy's water runs out, he goes into the girls hostel, invisible, to fulfill his needs - brushing, shaving, bathing and of course ogling.
Web Slices
Download video [00:00:59 FLV 1.41 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:59 AVI 5.57 MB]
I found this the least fun and hence keep it for the last.
The last ad of this series was released in April 2007 - the very catchy and wonderfully executed Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho ad for Madhya Pradesh Tourism (Incredible India). And in May 2009 comes another memorable ad. Some feel that the the first one was better and don't think much of the new TVC. I beg to differ, a little.
Like the last time Cutting the Chai is the first to put up the ad on the internet (I checked).
Download video [00:00:59 FLV 1.31 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:01 AVI 3.61 MB]
Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho was more like an ad showcasing the wonders of the state of Madhya Pradesh and inviting people to come visit.
This time, the theme is similar but with a little twist, it is not an invitation for MP Tourism but an endorsement (dekho to dekha), a kind of a first person account. And the bioscope makes way for a pair of very expressive (and continually moving) eyes.
This new jingle is also very catchy, quite like the last, and would make for a good ringtone. Preview and download if you like:
Download ringtone [MP3 472 KB 00:00:59 64kbps Stereo 44 kHz]
Lyrics of the song:
Hindustan Ka Dil Dekha
Bandar dekha, haathi dekha.
Barahsingha, aur cheetal dekha.
Mowgli ke jungleon mein,
Sher Khan ko dekha.
Pachmarhi Satpura ka ajooba,
Bhopal lake mein suraj dooba.
Mandu ka jahaz mahal,
Aur marble ka pahad dekha.
Mahakaal mandir mein pooja,
Photo khicha jaake Orcha.
Gwalior ke kile mein bhatka,
Khajuraho ne de diya jhatka.
Dhim tana dhi re na... nadir...
Purvajon ko milne jule,
Jaa bahita mein Bhimbhetka.
Train ki chik chuk sunte,
Aa pahucha mein Sanchi stupa.
Sanchi ki shanti mein,
Khudke aandar jhaak ke dekha.
Hindustan ka dil dekha.
Hindustan ka dil dekha.
The heart of incredible India.
Madhya Pradesh
Katrina fan Sanjay has been flooding me with requests and keeping with the spirit of this blog I'll try to continue fulfilling as many as I can.
This is Ms Kaif's Goddess of Luck commercial for Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery.
Download video [00:00:45 FLV 978 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:47 AVI 3.39 MB]
Download for mobile [00:00:47 3GP 763 KB]
This surrogate advertisement for AC Black Whisky (displayed product was AC Black Apple Juice) had stirred up a bit of controversy in the early 2000s. The TVC was subsequently taken off air.
A man takes a sip of Aristocrat Black Apple Juice/Whisky and looks at an attractive woman on the other side of the room, and her neckline gets lower and diminishes with every sip.
As he sips for the kill, he finds his shirt open. The woman is also playing the same game. The tagline says, Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai (Anything is possible).
The agency is JointArms Communication and the company Jagatjit Industries Limited.
Print ad:
Another memorable ad from the AC Black Series was one where a waitress is collecting empty glasses and a man and a woman place their 'AC Black Apple Juice' glasses on the tray side by side. And while the waitress carries away the tray, the glasses collide and so do the man and woman. As the glasses sway, the two begin to dance. And when the waitress turns on the tap to wash the glasses, it starts to rain. The rain dance continues as the glasses get washed and finally when the glasses are placed side by side to dry, the couple freeze in their dance posture.
[This ad was requested by Sanjay from Bangalore. Thanks Sanjay, for reminding me of this.]
Imagine on a rainy night you open the door and find Katrina Kaif drenched in a white saree (in typical Bollywood style) asking if she could seek shelter from the rain.
Too good to be true?
Well, then live your fantasy in this ad:Download video [00:01:00 FLV 1.44 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:37 AVI 3.39 MB]
Download for mobile [00:01:00 3GP 1.12 MB]
Though the advertisement says Old Admiral Aqua Pura packaged drinking water, like most such ads, it is a surrogate ad for Radico Khaitan's Old Admiral Brandy. The tagline reads, Har Pal Ka Saathi (A companion for all times).
In the background the lilting duet originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein from the 1974 film Ajnabee plays.
The music's by RD Burman and lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. The sensuous rain number was picturised on Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman (dressed, not in a white saree, but in an almost white dress that I think is a maxi).
Ever since the ads started airing during the ongoing IPL season, everyone everywhere is gushing about them. And they are indeed cute.
I was surprised when I discovered that the loveable egg-headed humanoids aren't digitally generated but real people in costumes.
Update: da Cunha Communications spreads out a Amul topical ad on the Zoozoo phenemenon:
O&M and Nirvana Films have put together a series that we all would remember for long and I'm putting all that I can find at one place. Enjoy.
[I've kept the videos light so that they play smoothly in Indian internet conditions and will keep adding to this collection as new ads go on air]
Vodafone Zoozoos - Independence Day
Vodafone Zoozoos - Torch
Vodafone Zoozoos - Exam Results
Vodafone Zoozoos - Background Music
Vodafone Zoozoos - Call Divert
Vodafone Zoozoos - Email
Vodafone Zoozoos - Facebook
Vodafone Zoozoos - Group SMS
Vodafone Zoozoos - Ringtones/Silent
Vodafone Zoozoos - Recharge Anywhere
Vodafone Zoozoos - Fashion Tips
Vodafone Zoozoos - Voice SMS
Vodafone Zoozoos - Magic Box 2
Busy Message
Backup Phonebook
Beauty Tips
Bhakti Sagar
Call Filter
Cricket Alerts
Chhota Credit
Cricket Commentary
Dating Tips
Games
International Roaming
Magic Box Two Year Replacement
Maps
Star of the Match 2
Star of the Match
Musical Greetings
Stock Alerts
