Tanishq Shubham Ad Campaign- Under the lens of an Image Consultant

I normally refrain from deconstructing and analyzing advertising and promotional banners/posters, so, I am unable to fathom this strong instinct to opine on display advertising from a leading brand.

So here goes. I stepped out of my office in the evening to head back home, struggling in the maddening traffic of Mumbai and as I took a left turn immediately after the Tanishq showroom, something jolted me like a bolt of lightning. I just have not been able to get the hoarding visuals out of my head because the brand and ad agency involved are top notch and the celebrity is my favorite. The Image Consultant inside me decided to rise to the occasion and get to what I do best, namely, look for harmony in appearance, as I bring the elements of design like line, colour, shape, texture and pattern to convergence.

Shubham is a beautiful initiative with a traditional temple theme during the biggest festive season however, a few things from a technical perspective got missed out which could have made this campaign reach another level from the aesthetic and visual perspective.

Under the lens of an Image Consultant, paying attention to details becomes very critical especially when other’s opinion and perception matter. I then decided to give my comments on 3 campaigns of Shubham.

Campaign 1

·     A choice of taupe color, which is in the background of Deepika’s dress, does not highlight her jewelry. This is not the best choice that flatters our skin tone and hence makes most people appear dull, tired and aged if not coordinated appropriately with a bright color.

·     There are too many details in the dress and the attention does not go to the jewelry, whereas there should have been JUST one DOMINANT FOCAL POINT of EMPHASIS and rest subordinate. The highlight of the campaign should have been the jewelry whereas what draws attention is the adornment in the dress, everything around the jewelry is too busy and keeps the attention all over.

·     The dress by itself is a gorgeous costume piece but unfortunately while styling her, the objective of the campaign has got diluted and the outfit became the key focal point. If one removes the branding of Tanishq, it is difficult to recognize whether the campaign is for the jewelry brand or for the dress designer. When two costume pieces are put together, there is always a visual clash for attention. In the current picture, it is difficult to focus on the neckpiece with lot of details around in the garment.

·     There is a beautiful green in the backdrop; ideally a contrast would have been interesting like a burgundy or ivory maintaining the contemporary feel instead of taupe to lift the gold in the jewelry. Currently nothing stands out.

·     Deepika’s face does not appear soft as she usually is; her hairstyle with center parting with tightly tied hair does not suit her face and makes her appear tired and drained out. Her phony arched eyebrows add a hint of harshness to the overall expression.

Campaign 2

·     Another hoarding has Deepika in Yellow top and gold jewelry. When you combine similar shades in the foreground as well as the background, nothing stands out and gets lifted but they all blend. The yellow top in itself is complete as a beautiful costume piece, but does no value addition to the campaign. Instead, it clashes with the gold jewelry.

·     The cool green (teal) lehenga with the warm green with mehendi theme backdrop draw attention as warm colors make cool colors appear even cooler and cool colors make warm colors appear even warmer because there is simultaneous contrast and they tend to push apart. Here, these two shades of green create a distraction.

·     Her straight-ironed hair highlights the angularity of the face and makes Deepika appear more sturdy than soft, lady-like. She could have pulled off this look perfectly had she worn a gym wear showcasing her toned arms with muscles. She should have had soft curls to look slightly more feminine and contemporary.

·     The overall theme, color choices and point of emphasis were not well planned and executed keeping the larger picture in mind that is- The JEWELRY, and worn by one of the most popular faces of Indian film industry.

·     Every detail matters if you view things in a combined perspective. The designer, the stylist, the advertising agency and finally the brand- they all did a great job independently however the crux of the matter is, did they see what they wanted us to see and appreciate. The Tanishq campaign did well, however it could have received a better response if everything could have been viewed holistically.

Looking at you should be a pleasant experience; nothing about you should be disturbing.

Campaign 3

The third campaign banner was far better than the other two.

·     The gold, the blue and ivory with a repetition of gold creating a perfect harmony with warm and cool shades contrasting and leading attention to the gold jewelry with a solid ivory in the background. The warm and the cools colors are placed alternatively and there is a beautiful rhythmic eye movement without any disturbance.

·     The gold diyas compliment the entire look and makes Deepika look like a Diva in rich subtle dull gold embroidered attire. There is a contrast with blue to her warm skin coloration highlighting her overall look and enhancing her features perfectly.

·     The blue highlights the gold jewelry and despite all other details, the neckpiece becomes an evident focal point of emphasis.

·     The “not so perfect” loosely tied hair is complimenting for this overall look and feel Deepika carries.

·     The Tulsi plant adds a traditional touch and its subtle green color highlights the drawn elephant on the wall in the backdrop enhancing the overall ethnic flavors.

The entire look and feel of this shoot is visually pleasing as well as harmonious; from the attire to the color choices, the jewelry, it was a delightful experience watching this creative piece of work.