The Wrong Kind of Branding

Branding is only successful, when it is done in the write context. Therefore, using the right brand ambassador falls in the same line. It is no surprise that in a country known for its passion for cricket, brands use the players as their star attraction. Among all the players of Pakistan’s team Shahid Afridi aka Lala is a league in himself and a lot of brands use him.

P&G did a sloppy job with their new Head & Shoulders commercial.

The main theme of the ad is that Afridi cools down after using Head & Shoulders when he is not able to concentrate, then he blocks a ball & everyone goes ‘Cool Cool Afridi’. The mismatch here is that Afridi’s star power is not because of the cool cool factor. It is the complete opposite of it. He is known for hitting around the ball which at times gets him out on a duck, but then that is the Lala brand for you.

If this was not bad enough, the radio version is worse. The whole idea of Afridi washing up during the drinks break is absurd, to say the least!!!