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Fevicol: Stuck with a bad idea
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ANIL THAKRANEY | 08/06/2010 01:20 PM |
The new ad is hackneyed and no longer captures the imagination
So, Fevicol is back. A relatively small brand, but one that is best known for its shining, award-winning
creative work. Actually, Pidilite Industries (makers of Fevicol) is a dream account for any ad agency.
They give their ad agency (Ogilvy & Mather) creative directors total freedom. Not something you can
say for 99% of Indian clients. No wonder Piyush Pandey will never let go of the client…. he's gleefully
stuck to them with Fevicol!
This time the brand is back with an extension called 'Fevicol Marine', with a promise that the bond
doesn't break even under water. The TV commercial is a hark back to its age-old 'tug-of-war' ad for the
mother brand. Except that this time, the action has shifted to the backwaters of Kerala. So it's once
again 'Dum lagake, zor lagake, haishaaaaaa!'. The occasion is the State's famous snake boat race.
Two snake boats are tied to an ancient chair that's placed under water.
With each boat and its crew pulling from the opposite directions. Egged on by an excitable chap, who
I assume must be the brand manager of Fevicol. The idea quite obviously is to demonstrate that

2. the kursi bonded by Fevicol Marine will stay in one piece in these testing conditions.
So no bets for guessing the boatmen lose this competition. Cool. Once again Fevicol does what it does
best: make a wild claim using wild exaggeration as the creative route. Don't know how much of it
helps in the market place, but award juries are stuck with Fevicol.
My own take: Very disappointing ad. It's an ordinary ad, not even a patch on Fevicol's own sensational
past body of work. An obvious idea for a marine adhesive: go under water. And the snake boat trick
has been so done to death in Indian commercials, it no longer captures the imagination. In fact, it's
totally hackneyed. Some would argue that product performance is nicely demonstrated, so then why
crib? Yes, that's true. And for any other brand one wouldn't have dissed this creative. But not for
Fevicol. You don't come up with such banal work for any ad agency's dream brand. It's unforgivable,
it's criminal.
Methinks creative 'god' and O&M honcho Shri Piyush Pandey is on his annual leave, and is holidaying
in some exotic location faraway (no, not the Kerala backwaters!). And so he didn't get a chance to whet
this dull storyboard. Come back soon, Sirji! Else your own bond with Pidilite might just come
undone. Haishaaaaa!
Tringa
This print tries to highlight 2 messages at the same time.
First, it gives a message to the world that J&K is an integeral part of India and can not be
separated at any cost.
Secondly, it tries to give the message about the strength of Fevicol as its an adhesive which is
impossible to break.
Hope you would like and if you do, please leave a comment, so that I feel the motivation to
come out with some more.
Kursi
For Pidilite Industries‟ flagship adhesive brand, Fevicol, life has come to a full circle. Its
famous ad showing fight for the „kursi‟ (symbol of power) is back. This time, however,
Fevicol‟s latest campaign introduces a new product – Fevicol Marine, that works under-
water too.
The advertisement has its trademark wooden chair being pulled by boatmen in Kerala
backwaters.

3. In an unorganised, low involvement and low cost product segment of adhesive, there is only
one brand that rings the bell – Fevicol. According to industry estimates, Fevicol has a 60 per
cent share in the adhesive market and is the leader in the product category. For years, Fevicol
has kept its target group and others glued through its witty and humorous ads – ranging from
chair‟s „Dum laga ke haisha‟ to the carpenter trying to break an egg to the last „Moustache‟
campaign. But can the latest campaign repeat the magic?
Power play
The ad reiterates Fevicol‟s positioning – „Fevicol ka jod hai, tootega nahi‟ (it is fixed with
Fevicol, won‟t break). The TVC begins with two groups of boatmen pulling the ropes tied up
with the feet of a wooden chair, submerged in water, in opposite directions. However, both
the groups accept defeat as none is able to pull the chair. A tourist on another boat plays
referee and declares that wherever be the object, Fevicol‟s strength remains the same.
The TVC has been directed by Indrajit Nattoji of Blink Pictures. The creative team for the ad
at Ogilvy was led by National Creative Director, Abhijit Avasthi. Sharing his thoughts on the
TVC‟s ideation, Nattoji says, “The demonstration is realistic and convincing. The over
enthusiastic „tourist‟ referee brings a smile through his smug confidence on Fevicol.”
The new offering claims to keep bonded plywood intact, even if it is treated in water for 48
hours, or in boiling water for around an hour.
Travelling back in time
In early ‟90s, Fevicol had advertisements, where two groups of people would unsuccessfully
try to pull apart a chair fixed by Fevicol. The TVC was further extrapolated to two elephants
trying to do the same. The two elephants also symbolise the logo of the brand.
The basic proposition remained – bonding. Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative
Director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather, says, “bonding got a dash of intelligent humour and
along came many awards for the ads.”
But is the revisit of the old ad formula appealing? Anil Thakraney, marketing analyst, is
disappointed with the retro version. “They have tried to re-live the magic of the past, but it
does not work. Given Fevicol‟s super record, we expected a much better effort,” he says.
However, Nattoji opines, “The insight is taking the legendary „majbooti‟ of Fevicol to a much
larger scale. It is a demonstration to show that Fevicol works in the most adverse conditions.”
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topi swala
Fevicol is synonymous with adhesives in India. Pidilite offers an extensive range of consumer,
craftsmen, engineering and industrial adhesives under Fevicol brand name. Excellent quality,
extensive product range, close relations with customers and award winning advertisement have
made Fevicol one of the most trusted brands in India and the largest selling adhesives brand in

4. Asia.
Keywords : Fevicol, Fevicol Furniture, Fevicol Ad, Fevicol Ads, Fevicol Furniture
Book, Pidilite,Pidilite Industries
Fevicol
contexT
Pidilite is amongst the leading companies of India and its brand "Fevicol, Steelgrip, Acron, Dr.
Fixit, Fevitite and M-seal" are amongst the most trusted brands of India. Fevicol ads are known
for its sheer creativity. This is Fevicol's one of the famous ads. Any guess as to what is this ad
trying to convey?
analysiS
During a winter when the near by trees shed their leaves, the Fevicol billboard on the cage of the
tree in the middle has prevented its leaves from falling. Power of fevicol eeh! Minute details like
no dry leaves on the ground are taken care in the ad. Simple, it lives up to the fevicol standard
ad.

5. By the way all the previous fevicol TV ads are available here . A contest to rank the top three
fevicol ads is also there in the site! All the best!
Case study
Dam lagake haisha
By: matwalaboy | Apr 19, 2005 11:36 AM
It?s been a long time since I have written something and I hope if not much, I was being missed just a little
bit here. So I thought why not come back to where I love being the most, the ad mod world. It feels good to
be strolling back on the advert lane, the lane that doesn?t fail to fascinate me ever, so here I am with yet
another advert and yet another story to tell.
Pidilite Industries Limited has become synonymous to adhesives and bonding agents. The company
proudly owns the punch line Building bonds what with most of its offerings becoming eponymous to the
product family they belong to. Rememberfevicol, feviquick, M-Seal, Dr. Fixit just to name a few. It takes a
lot to earn such a tag, from projecting the right image in all forms of public attention a la? media to making
products which live up to the expectations that have been conjured.
Fevicol, the flagship product of Pidilite is a case in point. Consider this for starters during the marriage the
pundit recites the mantra.... ~ YEH FEVICOL KA MAZBOOTH JOD HAI TOOTEGA NAHI or for that
matter Cricket hi to hai desh ka Fevicol .
Both these humor logs are pointers to the image that fevicol has been able to build over the years due to
sustained brand building campaign. If it sticks it has to fevicol, in bollywood style toote dilo ke alawa sab
kuch jode fevicol . Lets just do a little dissection of these adverts and find out why does fevicol binds like
none other.
Fevicol as a portfolio has been handled by O&M for a number of years now, infact I don?t remember
anything to do with fevicol without the O&M seal on it. The bonding has been a wonderfully rewarding one
for both O&M and Pidilite read fevicol.
So much so that O&M won the Campaign of the Century Silver at the 2000 Abby Awards for their fevicol
adverts. Fevicol also won them a Lion at the Cannes, which is as good as the Oscars for the moviemakers.
The Idea of all the fevicol adverts is very simple and straightforward, fevicol aise jod lagaye acche se
accha na tod paaye which is fevicol binds so good that no one can break it. I remember seeing a wonderful
print advert of fevicol, the god of death Yama is trying to pull out life from a person whose ordained time
has come, but is unable to do so, the reason, the body is lying next to a tin of fevicol.
And the best thing is the tagline which says fevicol aise jod lagaye yamraj bhi tod na paaye . The theme
and the idea have been brilliantly blended in all the fevicol ads and they have been woven in a simple yet
very effective way of story telling.
The genesis of the idea is from day to day observations. Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films, who shot the
Cannes Lion winning rickety bus Fevicol ad, says, ’’The campaign was a true representation of observation
method delivering consumer insights.

6. When in school, we used to travel through Jaisalmer in the bus crushed between people and their trunks,
and at times even their poultry. The insight was this strange human bonding. The ad clicked and the rest is
history,’’. The ads have showcased the wonderful human bonding in different forms, be it the rickety bus
ad, or the shadow ad or the pakde rehna chodna nahi series ads.
Fevicol ads have underlined time and again the axiom in advertising, which says that the core theme and
idea should remain intact as the adverts, grows with time.
The execution of the idea and the theme has resulted in a series of wonderful adverts, some of which
have become case studies in themselves of how to make an idea click in the form of an advert that sells.
The adverts transcend the barriers of geographies and language et al as the viewer can relate to it without
any problems of deciphering the language being spoken or the settings of the adverts.
The overcrowded rickety bus on a bumpy road with people precariously perched from every nook and
corner of the bus, has no dialogues or anything just fevicol advertised on the back of the bus saying fevicol
ka jodh hai, tutuga, chootega nahi or it?s the bond of fevicol wont break and it wont separate.
This hits the nail on the head with pleasant surprise and without any barriers of language or of any other
sort. No wonder this ad went on to win the Lion at Cannes.
The ad series of fevicol have always had something innovative and comical about them, this gives them a
high repeat value and even when they are shown again and again they don?t seem to suffer from the so
called F(atigue) Factor in the world of advertising.
Be it the pakde rehna ads which has carpenters working in their shop while a movie is playing on the TV
showing a couple hanging perilously from a rope, with a can of fevicol kept on top of the TV, an amused
carpenter looks at the can and then at the couple, while the heroine keeps shouting pakde rehna chodna
nahi , as the carpenter picks up the can, the couple falls down.
Now that?s what I call originality and creativity, O&M have always come up with catchy ways to sell fevicol.
The train advert for instance showing the sultry Katrina Kaif and a man who has just got married, as he falls
off to dream, he tries to run after Kaif, but to his utter disgust he just cant seem to move despite of all his
efforts. He wakes up only to find that his head was resting on fevicol carton.
Its different is what comes to mind when I think of the adverts for fevicol for they have always treaded on
grounds which others can only emulate. The schematization, the execution and the unique way of
showcasing the product are indeed a lesson to any aspiring ad maker.
The adverts have always essayed the costumer insights and what they feel about the product. For instance
what would any prospective buyer look for in any adhesive,something which gels so good that no one can
dare think of breaking or separating it and that?s precisely which all the ads talk about.
Despite of carrying on with the same theme, it is to O&M?s credit that the ads don?t seem rusted and oft
repeated, they always a freshness and originality about them, something which is very tough to keep
maintaining over a long period of time.
Re-inventing the wheel is the name of the game and fevicol has always been one step ahead when it
comes to doing something new and different.

7. This was showcased brilliantly in the Jashn Manao Haisha , or a festival of all the fevicol ads on Zee TV
sometime back. The names and content of their programs were most ingenious, check it out Hum Dil Jod
Chuke Sanam and Sticky Situations, Haisha Scenes,.
Zor lagake haisha the good old punch line of fevicol still rankles in our minds the moment we think about
fevicol or the logo of two elephants trying to pull apart a piece of wood stuck by fevicol will always remain
eponymous to an adhesive which binds for life.
I would like to sign out on a note on all the oh so in love people, don?t leave the love of your life pakde
rehna chodna nahi coz it?s a bond of life aise jod lagae acche se accha na tod paaye and keep daring
others by saying dam lagake haisha jor lagake haisha .