Asking a planner to critique an ad is really asking for it. We are notorious for bringing our ‘plannerism’ into pretty much everything. Some people even allege that we complicate things.

The sheer cheek! We are thorough, detail-orientated and like covering all the bases!

When critiquing an ad there are some considerations to delve into. To name a few – does the ad deliver on the brand promise? Is there a relevant insight that will resonate with target consumers? Is there a connect between the insight and the brand promise? Is the message clear? Does it deliver on the objectives? And so on; I will not bore you with details.

So here goes. Keeping ‘plannerism’ to a bare minimum (no promises!), the following are the top five that got my attention.

Brand: McDonald’s

Campaign: Pehla pyaar

Message: McDonald’s spices up wedding nights

Effectiveness: For reasons that completely confound me, as a nation we are really interested in other people’s wedding nights. Switch channels on any given day and there will be some sort of dramatic wedding night scene where nothing goes as planned. Case in point is this McDonald’s commercial where the husband picks this night of all possible nights to have a chat about his wife’s… ummm… relationship history. Wife without batting a fake eyelash expertly evades the question by convincing her husband to order McDonald’s instead. When I first saw the billboard I was intrigued. Was McDonald’s getting into branded content or was it doing a show on couples talking about their first love? The whole bride and bridegroom situation is unexpected but that is where the drama begins and ends. I am left hanging with lots of strange questions about the bride (was she hungry?), the groom (why ask that question!) and the message (what is the message?!). Pity considering what a big deal just making a television commercial must have been for McDonald’s. Opportunity squandered.

Verdict: Wedding night goes awry for McDonald’s.

Brand: Kenwood

Campaign: Khush raho

Message: Our machines are perfect but we cannot account for human error.

Effectiveness: For years I have had one question on my mind. A question that has robbed me of my sleep or instigated some very strange dreams. Why, oh why are home appliances in Pakistan treated like second class citizens? Why are they still operating in the dark ages and in the 80s style of advertising where every pedestal fan/deep freezer/refrigerator, air-conditioner had to be serenaded by a woman. This is why when I saw this ad I could not contain my joy. Finally an ad that breaks away from that need to harp about how awesome our pedestal fans/deep freezers/refrigerators and air-conditioners are. I like the story – it is sweet. The brand’s role could have definitely been strengthened, especially in the air-conditioner ad where the connect between the situation and the brand is missing.

Verdict: Kenwood is on to something. I hope they stay with it.

Brand: Surf Excel

Campaign: Daag tau achay hotay hain

Message: Dirt is good.

Effectiveness: I know jealousy is not an endearing quality, especially in women, but I am super envious of the planner who came up with the dirt is good platform. It is gold and maintains its charm ad after ad. This hoarding not only manages to tell a story but also gives the brand’s take on the world. No copy required.

Verdict: Surf Excel sets a great precedent for outdoor advertising in Pakistan.

Brand: Ufone

Campaign: Saaf awaz

Message: Saaf awaz

Effectiveness: I was becoming a little worried about Ufone. Consistently delivering on the platform the brand has built for itself is no easy feat. Initially, when the brand set off on this path the ads were a novelty and stood out from the other telecom players. However, as more and more campaigns were churned out they became less entertaining and memorable, with the melodrama overshadowing the message. This ad screams that Ufone is back. It cracked me up and communicates the message of saaf awaz beautifully.

Verdict: Ufone has found its mojo. Please stay found.

Brand: Vital Tea

Campaign: Rs 10 price point

Message: Saviour of all.

Effectiveness: Vital has been consistently attracting my attention. It is every strategist’s dream to create a brand that shakes up the industry, changes the status quo, goes where no other brand has gone before, charts new terrain… I can go on and on and on. Vital has undeniably established itself as the challenger and it tackles this price point communication with the same defiance as its other thematic campaigns. What I like is that Vital does not get caught in the thematic versus tactical debate. This is a tactical, but it is very much a brand thematic embodying the brand’s essence and personality. That is how it should be. Every piece of communication should embody the essence of the brand.

Verdict: Another great campaign from Vital showcasing how even a supposedly tactical ad can be spun into something much bigger.

Shazia Khan works at Ogilvy & Mather Pakistan. shazia.khan@ogilvy.com