Of words and vibes

The new Vodafone Facebook phone ad is super-cool. Love the drama, the excitement and the theatre that they’ve built around a tiny little phone. Facebook in mobile phones is no new trend but the ad guys here, have taken it to a different level with this really neat ad. The first time, I saw the ad, I really thought it was an ad for Facebook but then, again, it was for the FB button on their new phone (which btw is very attractively priced!). Once I got over that initial confusion, I really got down enjoying the fun. The stunning backdrop, the cutie-pie hero those ‘oh-so-appropriate’ props, the dance and the peppy music. Loved them all. Not to forget the nearly unforgettable, ‘always playing in your head’ lyrics. I could easily relate to the lyrics because that so described a die-hard FB fan like me who eats, sleeps, drinks and lives FB. But then again, will it sell more of those phones? Maybe. But will it get more users on Facebook. I guess, it will.

Yeah...I've done my post-graduation in mass media. I've worked across a wide variety of media, right from print to radio to television to the new media, but, that isn't why I am crazy about media. I fell in love with media, a long, long time ago. I was in third grade when my parents brought home a colour television. Those were the days of Doordarshan and numerous UGC programs and farm-based programs. They were quite boring for a 8-year-old but then, I looked forward to the commercials on television. I so loved the 'Hamara Bajaj' jingle which I would hum while playing 'hop,skip and jump' with my friends. Then, there was the Onida devil commercial that used to scare me to bits. I spend many a sleepless nights, wondering if the devil was hiding just outside the window. Of course, there was the very smart Lalithaji, who was very much like the noisy aunty next-door. Really, those early days help build a fascination for media within me. And the love affair continu...