RAMUDUCOME on, quickly, name three of your favourite film actors. Easy? Now, name three of your favourite soap stars. Done? Ok, how about three of your favourite actors in commercials? Tough one? Well, there's that guy in the Ericsson "one black coffee," ad, the girl from the Dairy Milk "stadium" ad, and the guy in the Centre Shock "barbershop" ad: All much-acclaimed ads, made by the best minds in the industry, and perhaps given that final nudge toward greatness by the actors.
To recognise the contribution made by actors and directors in commercials, the Advertising Club Bombay introduced special Abby Awards this year, Best Actor, Best Actress and Director in a TV Commercial. From a shortlist of ads that had won in the single ads and campaign (film) categories, judges — filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt, Subhash Ghai and Govind Nihalani — picked the winners. On the Awards night, at the poolside of the Tulip Star hotel, Akhil Mishra was named best actor (Aaj Tak ad), Malaika Shenoy was named best actress (Toshiba TV ad), and Pradeep Sarkar was named best director (Aaj Tak ad). The awards were presented by Bollywood star Preity Zinta.
"The awards always go to the agency, and while not all ad films have the Big Idea, most of them that win awards have proved to be effective," says Ramesh Narayan — Chairperson, Awards Function Committee. "So obviously, a large role is played by the character and the cast — these are the unsung heroes of the TVC, and they provide a little bit of the magic that makes the TVC fly." The judging was on the basis of art and craft, and the execution of the idea, he explains.
In the Toshiba TV ad, for example, all you see is the actress standing in her kitchen and getting teary-eyed watching a chef cut onions on the TV. "We saw a lot of screen tests — at least 20 — but we were not looking for a typical model, and I like to cast someone who is not that visible," explains K.S. Gopal, Executive Creative Director, Quadrant Communications, which created the ad. "Malaika pulled it off perfectly: she was very natural, and is a great performer, and she really looks like she's at home — you know, her hair's a little messy." The director had worked with her before and suggested her to the agency, he adds.
That is how it typically works: the agency and the production house have a bank of models, actresses and those looking for a break in ads or films. The agency works from its own list, on recommendations of the production house or through a model coordinator, and provides a shortlist of candidates to the client, who then makes the final choice. While the need is usually for a pretty face, when an ad demands a performance then a theatre actor or a TV actor is tapped. The problem with TV actors is that most tend to overact, says an agency person. But the advantage is that they are usually good-looking and are fairly well recognised. Whereas a theatre actor can be depended on to perform well, and is usually cheaper than a professional model or TV actor.
Zinta herself was a Liril girl, and now endorses a handful of brands, including Cadbury's Perk and Hyundai's Santro. And she has company in the various film stars and cricketers who plug everything from toothpaste to mobile phones to banks. The decision to use a celebrity sometimes comes from the client, who may have a personal connection, or simply wants to work with a star, says an agency person. The agency also may recommend a star when there's a perceived brand connect, or if the brand would benefit from the star's popularity or appeal.
"As far as possible, I like to use fresh faces, except when it's for something like World Gold Council, for which we used (model) Sheetal Mallar, because we wanted that equity," says Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Senior Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. "Otherwise, if there's a compelling story, we wouldn't want the model or celebrity actress to overpower the brand." He has worked with a mix of models, theatre and TV actors and celebrities, including Kamal Chopra (the Ericsson guy who also did the Fevikwik "fisherman" ad), Bomman Irani (a theatre and film actor who has done Onida, and was the father in the Centre Shock "horse riding" ad), and Rajat Kapoor (an actor and director who was in the Onida "sex change" ad). Then there is a face du jour, like Aditya, the VJ and theatre actor, who has appeared in ads for Peter England, Lay's, Blue Star, Fair & Lovely, and Hyundai Accent Diesel.
"Someone like Bomman Irani is very versatile — he's one of those solid, reliable people that you can't go wrong with," Chattopadhyay says. "And when you are on a tight deadline, you just want someone that can perform without too much effort." In the case of women, there is always a desire for fresh, pretty faces for anything from skin and beauty care to durables to automobiles. Chattopadhyay has worked with a mix of models and TV stars here, too, including Lisa Ray (Lakme), Sushma Reddy and Meghna (Onida, Lakme); the current favourite is Katrina Kaif, who has appeared in the new Fevicol "train" ad and the LG CDMA ad.
A new find will usually work for about Rs 10,000; that rate goes up to Rs 50,000 when work starts coming in. A theatre actor would charge less than Rs 1 lakh, while a professional model would charge more, and a TV actor would charge Rs 1-2 lakh. (Ad shoots typically last a day or a day-and-a-half.) For a big cosmetics or durables brand, the actor will be required to sign a contract barring them from endorsing a rival brand for a period of one year.
"Some models have a great face but cannot perform, and some of the good ones have had so much exposure," Chattopadhyay says. "The good ones will do everything — a cosmetic, a textile, a durable, an FMCG, and then maybe go on to the ramp or TV or film, especially if they're seen in a high-profile campaign, like Milind Soman and Bipasha Basu. So the usual life span is about one to two years in ads."
The award for actors in a commercial is essentially to reward creativity, says Chattopadhyay, who himself made several trips to the stage on Awards night. "Surely, they make a contribution; execution is important — it's peripheral, but it's also important."
Just how important was demonstrated in the new spot for Gelusil, the antacid: the spot shows a guy (Manoj Pahwa, who also appeared in the 8 p.m. ad with Kamal Chopra) watching a cricket match on TV, and eating from a big bowl of chips. For a second he registers discomfort on his face, pops a Gelusil, and then goes on crunching. "We were looking for a `healthy' character who could be expressive in a very short period of time, and someone that people could relate to," says Prasad Banavalikar, Group Product Manager, Pfizer. "We picked Manoj out of a shortlist of about five - he brings a freshness to the ad, and is very easy to relate to as he looks down to earth, and not SEC A+." The recall for the ad, created by Contract Health, is so high that people are walking into pharmacies asking for the product that the "fat guy eating chips" takes, he says. The agency is now planning to take the idea further, using the actor in press and POS, he adds.
