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Dharma, Bollywood’s leading storyteller and production company, has teamed up with Center Fresh for a full-fledged Bollywood-style ad.
Indians adore a good plot, particularly ones full of drama and romance. Most of us connect with DDLJ’s “Raj” and “Simran” because Indians have a soft spot for romanticism and over-the-top plots. In Bollywood romance, nothing is as easy as “a girl meets a boy, boy meets girl, and they live happily ever after.” NO! There has to be drama with love winning in the end because “Pyaar ki jeet hoti hai”. Since we are familiar with seeing Dharma magic on the giant cinema screens, we were taken aback by a Center Fresh commercial brimming with the spirit of romance. Dharma 2.0, Wavemaker India, and Ogilvy India are in on it.
This wasn’t the Dharma of the films; instead, it was a new component from the brand that began producing commercial films in 2016. By harnessing the power of a prominent production firm like Dharma 2.0, this alliance puts a distinct solution to online films in the spotlight.
Love story 2.0Â
The ad promotes the brand’s concept of ‘fresh breath confidence’ in a Bollywood Vibe. This is to relate to the youth managing the pandemic climate. So, it’s obvious the main target audience is 18-24 years old.Â
It follows two characters as they go about their daily routine at work. The female protagonist appears keen to make conversation with a fellow elevator rider. But she seems unable to strike up a conversation because she wears masks – a Covid protocol. The film concludes with her gaining the confidence she requires after watching Center Fresh and sharing a likeness she drew of the male protagonist.
The 2-minute film “Parda” explicitly says that nothing can stop you from falling in love, not even your masks. The COVID-19 love story, where every Gen-Z or millennial can relate to the idea of romance.Â
2-minute love storyÂ
The effect of COVID-19 on video consumption has been tremendous. According to a Bain & Company report, 650 million Indians will spend an hour each day watching short-form videos by 2025. Short video consumption continues to rise, resulting in lower consumption of longer videos.
Rohit Kapoor, director of marketing, Perfetti Van Melle India, says, “it’s not about picking long or short content format, it is about finding the right storylines for both long and short formats. For instance, ‘Parda’ as a film demanded more time for the story to build and unveil. We cannot make a 30 second cut of this film because we want to fit into a certain format.”
Early next year, Center Fresh will release Dharma 2.0, a sequel to the first film. Karan Johar will personally promote the Center fresh X Dharma 2.0 collaboration on social media.
Will we see Dharma on smaller screens?
Dharma sees itself as a niche firm rather than a production business. Although there are several commercial production companies, a brand’s goal should be to align with Dharma 2.0’s philosophy, style, and aesthetic excellence.
The work record of Dharma 2.0 shows that it is picky in everything it does. Since its inception in 2016, it has collaborated with a select group of companies, including Johnnie Walker, D’Decor, Netmeds, and Colgate. It won’t produce advertising on a regular basis like Ogilvy or Wunderman Thompson.
“It is important for us to retain a certain amount of aesthetic appeal and quality for what we put out,” says Apoorva Mehta, CEO, Dharma Productions. He added that brands don’t work on the same thing, “We’re aiming to work with those brands where we are essentially able to bring our ethos, bring the value the company stands for to the table. It’s not possible for every brand and every brand doesn’t require us. It works both ways.”
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