Some things are better left untouched. Vicco Vajradanti’s recent TV commercial is a case in point. Launched eight months ago, it stars Alia Bhatt and is a cringey and disappointing successor to an iconic campaign.
In the ad, Alia Bhatt barges into a dentist’s office and starts examining people’s gums and teeth while reciting a rhyme: “Ye waala toh dheela hai, upar se neeche tak peela hai (This tooth is loose, and yellow from top to root).” To another patient, she points out that her teeth have cavities. If you thought a visit to the dentist’s office couldn’t get any worse, this ad proves you wrong. And Bhatt wasn’t even the doctor in charge. She walked into the clinic looking for a job, which she vies for by buttering up the dentist, who uses Vicco Vajradanti toothpaste.
It’s a fair device to use, that the one with perfect teeth, no less a dentist, is the one who brushes using Vicco Vajradanti, but the setting of the ad is unnerving. The brand roped in Alia Bhatt in 2020 to appeal to a younger audience.
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Strange brand move
As a standalone, this ad wouldn’t have been this bothersome, but as the follow-up to Vicco’s classic jingle that has been running since the ‘80s, it’s an erratic brand move. The original jingle is still fresh in the minds of audiences. It’s in the same league as ‘Washing powder Nirma’ and ‘Chaar boondo wala Ujala’.
The brand either needs to honour its previous legacy by coming up with a new brand language altogether or stick to the old one. But searching for a new identity while not being able to let go of its previous one will probably not work in Vicco’s favour.
The ad also has to be the poorest Alia Bhatt performance on screen. As a pesky, wide-eyed enthusiastic woman looking for a new job, Bhatt fails to bring anything endearing to the role.
In 2020, the brand launched a rock new-age version of its former jingle, which was refreshing and just as catchy. It starred Alia Bhatt as well. That ad was still an average homage to their classic campaign, enough to make audiences nostalgic.
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A 40-yr old iconic jingle
Vicco Vajradanti’s jingle rolls off the tongue of an average Hindi speaker without much provocation: “Vajradanti, vajradanti Vicco Vajradanti, Vicco powder, Vicco paste. Ayurvedic jadibootiyon se bana sampoorn swadeshi. Vicco Vajradanti.”
But the campaign, launched in the 80s, is almost 40 years old now. Naturally, the brand is looking for a reset.
Vicco now needs a clear differentiator, to give it an edge. ‘Sampoorn Swadeshi (Completely Indian)’ is a good hook and goes with the recent ‘Make in India’ push. People are actually actively looking for India-made products to buy and use. Right now, playing on its ayurvedic authenticity or prowess perhaps isn’t the best route to take, simply because other brands like Dabur Red and Patanjali are doing the same thing. Even though Vicco was the first-mover when it came to ‘ayurvedic ads’.
Time will tell if Alia Bhatt’s brand power adds to Vicco, but insulting people’s teeth and making a hellish dentist clinic scenario isn’t the way to do it.
This article is part of the Vigyapanti series, which reviews Indian vigyapans aka advertisements.
(Edited by Neera Majumdar)