When it comes to thinking about the future, ads these days are kakotopic. Needless to say, it’s just a reflection of the times we live in. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going to pause anytime soon and our concern emerging from it has spread everywhere around, including the ads films we watch.
But, Colgate with its new ad called ‘Begin again with a smile‘ goes against the above-mentioned trends or beliefs. Colgate rather shows us a mask-less future, people are mask free and one where people can go to restaurants and mingle with each other without the need for social distancing. It’s 35 seconds longa ad and some of you may feel it is a pre-pandemic ad but is actually a post-pandemic one. The ad shows two people meeting at a restaurant without any social distancing. There’s also a warm soft and sweet touch towards the end.
What we viewers can see apart from the mask free scenes and social distancing, were the comparison or metaphor the ad made. The nationwide lockdown brought loneliness was is compared to the old lady’s loneliness, so was this post-pandemic freedom to the freedom from societal judgment. And if we haven’t forgotten, without the masks we can finally see the smiles on people’s faces. A dedicated WPP unit to service packaged-goods giant, Red Fuse Communications, Colgate-Palmolive is behind this ad.
Options of some industry experts were taken on this ad. ” It’s a new take on the post COVID world and helps you get past the gloominess and ponderousness of these times. If an older woman opting for a remarriage, or at least planning it, may not be new as insight, it links to the lockdown and how one needs to come out of this traditional thinking, is well-reflected. With a simple and we’ll cast, this ad is a break from the pessimistic tones of these times,” says Chraneeta Mann, co-founder, The Mob, speaking about this new ad.
“The ad film is very intriguing and I loved it. From the very first frame, you get to know where the story may go and still it keeps you absorbed. It has a modern view of the ‘smile’, something that lacks drama and preachiness. The matter with any such commercial is its likeliness to fall into moralizing. The almost normal storytelling is its highlight,” said Naresh Gupta, the co-founder, and chief strategy officer, Bang In The Middle.
