Technology has been a boon to mankind. It has helped in many facets of life; be it communication, science or civil. One such area that is benefitting the most from technological advancements is none other than the advertising industry. With the development of animation & VFX technologies; television commercials in India are utilising it to deliver the message and advertise to the maximum capacity.
Let’s take a look at the top five television commercials in India, which have used the combination of animation and VFX effectively.
Vodafone ZooZoo Campaign
The ZooZoos took the nation by storm when they were launched in 2009 by Vodafone. The Vodafone ZooZoo campaign is one of the most successful commercial campaigns in Indian television history. Contrary to popular belief, the ZooZoos were not animated characters. They were real humans wearing costumes. So what’s unique about these ads? Although special suits were made for artists and there were specific colour combinations to focus on the character, character modelling, lighting, rendering, and sound effects were added in post production with maximum use of VFX. Without even a single dialogue being spoken; the sound effects delivered the desired outcome. The finalised product made it look like the whole campaign was animated, thanks to the effective use of VFX.
Happydent City Lights Campaign
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zjFMq2RirI[/youtube]
Source: Federico Russo
This commercial was a brilliant combination of VFX and animation. The Happydent ad campaign worked on the concept ‘chewing gum for sparkling teeth’. This concept was delivered through a fictional setting where men, instead of bulbs, provide light by eating Happydent gum and smiling. It was shot using real artists but the light effects and most of the set creation was done in post production. Animation saved the day when software were used to create the landscape as well as VFX was used to show proper ambience, light and sound effects.
MTS Internet Baby Ad Campaign
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg37kafMsWk[/youtube]
Source: MTS India
This truly eye-popping ad is about the interaction of a baby with technology from the moment it is born. The baby is shown cutting its own umbilical cord and taking a selfie with the nurse. And all this is broadcasted live from the mobile camera, along with a safe route home due to the seamless GPS experience. Needless to say, the baby and all related activities were created using animation and VFX. The purpose of the ad was well served that internet is for everyone and they are one of the fastest providers of the service. The animation made the ad look humorous as well as provided information about the services provided by the brand.
KitKat Dancing Babies Ad Campaign
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTpv9lc_qMw[/youtube]
Source: Kit Kat
Any commercial where babies are involved always turns out to be cute. Similar to the MTS India ad, this Kit Kat ad also involves babies in a hospital ward playing with their toys and dancing to the doctor at the sight of a Kit Kat chocolate. The brand delivered its message that the chocolate is refreshing and enjoyable at a same time. Also it emphasised on the importance of taking a break. All the babies in the commercial were real, however the dancing and giggling was computer generated. Every tiny detail was taken care of and the ad was a massive hit for its cuteness factor.
Complan ‘Takat ka Bhoot’ Ad Campaign
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa_DJ7hs-f0[/youtube]
This commercial was a combination of real humans and animation. Inspired from Big B’s hit film Bhootnath where he portrays the role of a friendly ghost, the Complan ad stars Amitabh Bachchan as ‘Takat ka Bhoot’. This ad emphasised the benefits of the health product. The main character was animated to look like a ghost in the ad and looked believable right till the end.
These are few of Indian television commercials, which made the use of animation techniques and VFX to its maximum potential. They are ready to accept new technologies for making advertisements better and more viable, thus, creating job opportunities for animators and visual effects artists. Combining new concepts with traditional outlook has changed the way the Indian industry would operate. It has opened up new avenues. The creative heads will continue to explore these to come up with better commercials and expand the industry further.
If you have a favourite ad that has utilised animation and VFX, share it with us below in the comments section.
