ADvent of the Stars

Plato has said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work” and how true it is in the case of some of these hot hunks and lovely ladies who have made it big in the glam world! They came to us through advertisements and the rest as they say, is history. A look at some fresh Indian faces for whom a stint in advertising turned out to be the big ticket to cinema.

  

Vidya Balan

Beautiful, in the classic sense of the word, this Tam Brahm from Palakkad, made her debut as a model in a Surf Excel advertisement in 1998. She was also seen in ads for Gits Idlees, a clinic plus film for the girl child, Krack Cream, and several other advertisements. Her demure ‘woman next door’ looks made her an instant favorite to fit the role of mother and wife in about 25 advertisements. Most of these ads were directed by Pradeep Sarkar and she soon found herself in the lead role for his directorial debut Parineeta which was a success. Prior to Parineeta, she was seen on a comedy serial on Zee TV called 'Hum Paanch'. After her filmdom fame she was seen endorsing brands such as Airtel (with actor Madhavan), Goodknight Mosquito coil, Toshiba etc.

Deepika Padukone

For this long legged beauty, who shot to fame through Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, tinsel town was not unknown territory. She had already modeled for leading brands such as Liril soap, Dabur Lal, Limca, and Close-up. She had also won the brand ambassadorship of the Jewels of India, an annual jewellery festival. She hit the international scene when Maybelline made her their new international covergirl face. At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards, for Indian models and designers, she was awarded the title of Model of the Year. Shortly afterwards, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006. She also won two trophies at the Idea Zee Awards in 2006 - Female Model of the year (Commercial Assignments) and Fresh Face of the year. Today she endorses top brands like Fiama Di Wills, Nescafe, BSNL, Sony Cyber Shot, Levis Jeans, and Neutrogena etc.

John Abraham

John Abraham has a pretty interesting connection with Advertising and his tryst into modeling is even more amusing. John, born to a Malayali father and Parsi mother was a media planner in an agency. He got into modeling because his boss at the ad agency needed a last-minute replacement for a shoot! And thus it began…In 1999, he won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and went to the Philippines for Manhunt International, where he won the second place. Following this, he was signed by Carrie Models in Singapore and did some modelling there; he later modelled in Hong Kong, London and New York City. He appeared in some music videos after which he made his film debut through Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Jism’ in 2003. A bike enthusiast, today he endorses Yamaha, Castrol, Garnier Men, Wrangler Jeans etc.

Bipasha Basu

This Bengali beauty wanted to study medicine but her destiny had different plans for her. While an under graduate she used to do modeling and part-time ramp shows. It was during this time that she met model Mehr Jessia who suggested that she take part in the Ford Godrej Cinthol contest. As luck would have it she won the contest and she was flown to New York by the Ford Company, where she had a successful modelling career at the age of 17. Ajnabee released in 2001 is her first film. She has endorsed a horde of brands such as Thums Up, Clinic All Clear, Reebok, Gili, Real Activ Juice, Sugar Free Gold, Panasonic, VI John Hair Removal Cream, Emami etc.

Aishwarya Rai

This former Miss World was first seen in a commercial for Camlin pencils when she was in the 9th grade. An aspiring architect, fame courted her even before she was crowned Miss World in 1994. She was seen in commercials for Garden sari, Colgate Gel, Sheetal, and Pepsi. Of these, the Pepsi commercial where she featured with Aamir Khan and Mahima Chowdhary was particularly popular. In fact, Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai are the only stars to have endorsed both Coke and Pepsi! After her debut in Iruvar (Tamil) in 1997, her first Hindi movie ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ opposite Bobby Deol was released the same year. Aishwarya Rai has been associated with brands such as Coca Cola, Longines Swiss Watches, L’Oreal, etc.

Genelia D’Souza

This cute and bubbly girl was first seen in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan. After gaining wide attention for the ad she began her acting career with ‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’ in 2003. The film did not do very well at the box office but her Tamil debut ‘Boys’ released the same year was a runaway hit. She has endorsed brands like Fanta, Virgin Mobile India, Fastrack, LG Mobiles, Garnier Light, Margo, Close-up and Perk.

Preity Zinta

A Post Graduate in Criminal Psychology, modeling happened by chance for this dimpled beauty. Her first television commercial was for Perk chocolates, the result of a chance meeting with a director at a friend's birthday party in 1996. The director persuaded her to audition for the spot, and she was selected. Afterwards, she appeared in other catalogues and commercials, including one for the soap Liril. Her noted stints in such ads lead to her being offered roles in movies like Dil Se, Kya Kehna, Soldier etc. Dil Se was her first released movie. She has endorsed Ddamas, Pentacool, Go Air, Emami Edible Oil Healthy and Tasty, etc.

The list, as is obvious, is incomplete. But the above mentioned names are those that have carved a sizeable niche for themselves in the world of movies. I realize that even as I am typing this out, even as these words are being printed on to paper, and possibly, even as you are reading this piece, some ad model, somewhere, in some little commercial, is preparing to join the league of stars mentioned above, without even realizing it. It’s their ADvent, I guess!

ADd that extra something to your copy

Copy is more than just words. It is more about an idea, a concept or a benefit. Good copy inspires, motivates and even sells. And that’s exactly the reason why a good writer need not necessarily be a good copywriter. On the other hand, being a good writer is a prerequisite for being a copywriter.

Copywriting differs in style, structure, tone and length depending on the medium it is used in. Newspaper or Magazine print ads have copy which is crisp and concise, something easily understandable. Brochures and leaflets generally have lengthier copy, more descriptive writing. In TVCs you seldom see copy in written form; it is usually a voiceover or a dialogue. Web copywriting in the form of emailers, enewsletters, social media interactivity programmes, websites, google ads, facebook ads, etc vary greatly from each other.

But whatever be the medium, copywriting is something that does not have a set word length. Novice copywriters often believe that all copy must be long- longer is always better. This is almost never true. When you write copy it only needs to be as long as it needs to be. You will destroy your letter if you add filler just to look better. If more words are necessary to accomplish your objective, then do what needs to be done.

Some basic copywriting tips that can prove useful to all aspiring copywriters:

v     Identify the Target Audience

The target audience plays a pivotal role in deciding the fate of your business. In copywriting, it is absolutely essential to first identify the target and before writing copy. This helps you speak a language your target audience understands. If you knew the TA for your biscuit ad is a housewife, you wouldn’t use too many big words and phrases. You would like to keep it short and simple. Better still, visualize your TA as you write. Think of someone who might be reading the ad, someone you know, like your mother or sister. This way you get a better idea of what appeals to them, what they want etc.

v     Maximize the research work

Gather as much data as possible on the product or service and work persistently on your skills. Unless and until you are determined to work on your copywriting abilities, there is no way of generating that perfect copy.

v     Be creative

You need to be creative so as to pull your target towards your ad. Use headlines that provoke, titillate, excite, or may be even, confuse. The rule here is not ‘by hook or by crook’ but originality of thought and interesting presentation of facts.

v     Exclude Jargons

Jargons refer to words which are difficult to comprehend. A jargon does nothing, but creates a negative impact. So, in copy writing, it is better to exclude as many difficult words as possible to ensure that your audience understands your point.

v     Speak the readers language

If you want to attract the reader’s attention through your writing, speak his own language. Effective copy writing requires a systematic approach that would deal in creating a direct conversation set up with the customer. If you are targeting the youth, a ‘Wassup?’ or a ‘Hey there!’ might catch their attention.

v     Avoid lengthy words & sentences

It can create needless confusion and therefore hamper the charm of the copy. You may enjoy using different words from your vocabulary but the reader will be put off. Do not use long Latin words like “information”- use short Anglo- Saxon words like “facts”. These words have more punch. Always remember copywriting is not about writing a novel; it is about selling a benefit.

v     State the exact product facts

Be creative and witty, but do not get carried away. At the end of it all, it is information the consumer wants. Be sure you give all the information you can, while focusing on any one aspect that needs to be highlighted.

v     Mention the service benefits

Let the customers know how they will benefit from your services. Provide every required detail that exclusively focuses on stating the service attributes. A big ‘NO’ to exaggerations and over claims- it can work against your objectives!

v     Review your copy

Reviewing is a crucial copywriting process that allows you to examine and scrutinize each and every single word in your copy. A copy should be reviewed at least thrice to evade any error in the subject. Typos, grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes- make sure you weed out all of those.

v     Everything does not have to be “grammatically correct”

This holds true especially when you are writing for TV Commercials. We are not always grammatically correct in real life; we also make deliberate grammatical errors when with friends, for fun. This does not mean that you can use totally ridiculous language. It just means your idea shouldn’t be handicapped because of adhering to grammar and syntax. The important point here is to light a desire in the prospect. E.g. if going by the rule one would is not supposed to use different languages in the same breath, but Virgin Mobile has the tagline ‘Think hatke’ and is totally relatable.

And finally, study the work of the great men of advertising. Write, write and re-write. The way to get effective advertising is to test everything. And if you are serious about copywriting, learn this one by rote and heart: Good copy is like a river; you should be able to jump in at any point and be carried along by the flow!