So I just saw this Airtel ad about Boss assigning some work to team members and them slogging out and then she goes home and cooks. The team-member then gets a call from his wife to come for dinner, and on a video call shows the dinner how it looks and then you get to know his Boss at work is his Boss at home ;)
I also saw a NDTV discussion on if this ad was demeaning the females or progressive or trying to encourage the Superwoman tendency or set expectations that whatever you are at work, you still have to cook at home. I also came across a few more tweets ( I did not understand what some of them intended to say - but may be because I do not understand the definition of Feminism, will have to google it out)
About being the boss and wife-who-cooks-at-home at the same time, Possible scenario, every individual is different. I feel, as a boss, she should have probably helped out with the work and not left the team in office- atleast should have made some offer/arrangement for their refreshments. She does say call me if any help is required, but still.. But then how would the network strength be depicted :-P
Going back home, freshens up and cooks for her husband. So one who has reached home first has started cooking- does it imply she has to cook daily ? or does it imply what she has made is tasty or that she/they cant afford to have a cook to help. I know one of my friends has two cooks, one for morning and one for evening. But on days, she gets late from office, she has to cook.. Maids/cooks don't wait for you at your doorstep till the time you come back home. They work only on their schedule- there could be exceptions, but then they are that.
My two-pais (maiden surname and after married one too) on it.. I found the ad interesting.. No reason to outrage, Why even compare or draw conclusions from an Ad ? Do we really live like the people in Ads or Movies or TV serials ???? I think even in remote corners of India, where TV is , they know things arent as shiny as they see in TV -be it ads, serials or movies.. None of the detergents really can turn a yellow or offwhite shirt into white, no family members keep plotting against other family members, no Munnabhai can easily become a doctor (thats a residue from a movie watched yesterday but did not find any other anecdote here) So stop giving any real life connotations..
Is the ad suggesting something or expecting something.. Yeah, they just want to say they have calling facilities as well as Video calling. If the network really provides that level of clarity or not-cant be determined as they have not specified which cell tower area or city they are talking about. I have only used a airtel broadband data card for a very short period, but dint find the speed interesting or superfast, Never tried video calling -BSNL broadband was the one for me and my husband :)
Note-All brand plug-ins are contextual and no real advertising is expected.. I don't even have AdSense or anything on my blog yet, so I am not benefited :)
1 comment:
I am glad you are posting regularly Aparna. I saw the Ad & found it a little weird.
first - no company worth its business would allow a husband-wife to work close quarters where one of them is in position to influence the other's appraiser. As per the general policy, they got to be reporting to two different people.
Second - I hate how these brands want to make a show of how progressive they are. Just because wife is the boss & husband, her subordinate, doesn't mean we are getting any progressive as a society so why blow that trumpet
third - I agree. As a boss, she should have stayed on to see if she could help her team with something that would send everyone, not just her husband, home a little early. You can't walk out like that after piling your team with 11th hour assignments.
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lastly, I am not sure husbands would react to kindly if their wives tried this in reality. A man's ego, especially, an Indian man's ego is not imaginary.
The ad in itself was not exceptional but Airtel certainly benefited from all the press it got. After all, good publicity or bad, publicity is good ;)
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