United Colors of Benetton sports the message #UnitedByPlay

In a short film in association with Terribly Tiny Talkies, the garment brand talks about the harmony between various communities in India

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | September 28, 2016

Click on the Image to watch the TVC.

'Unity is diversity' is a slogan that our country has been sporting for decades now, and brands have not shied away from leveraging on this in their communications. One of them is United Colors of Benetton, a multi-national garment brand, which again tells the story of communal harmony in India in a spirited ad.

The company has partnered with Terribly Tiny Talkies to produce a brand film on Independence Day. Terribly Tiny Talkies produces co-branded content for brands, especially on the digital platform.

The three-and-a-half-minute film talks about the love and harmony among various communities in India and doesn't show a single sign of product or brand service, sportingly highlighting its value – United Colors.

Chintan Ruparel

Chintan Ruparel, Co-Founder and Chief Curator, Terribly Tiny Tales, said, “A lot of brands have realised that the viewers online are very much aware of the hard-selling done by the brands and they don't really appreciate it on social media. While hard-selling is a hygiene that all brands have to maintain on the mainstream media platforms, this is more of a conscious cleansing exercise.”

About how the idea germinated, Ruparel said, “The brief was to make a heart-warming film around Independence Day. We had a few scripts and the client finalised this.”

The film opens with youngsters moving towards a ground with a stern and angry look on their faces. It seems everyone is trying to gather more and more people in their teams. The gathering of people clearly looks like two teams are building up. And finally, all ends in a cricket match between the two teams (members of two communities). The whole build-up looks like that of a fight but ends in a friendly match. At the end of the film, the final shot has the words -- “One Faith. Play #UnitedByPlay” -- and the logo of the brand appears.

The film is shot by Fingerprint Films. Director Karan Shetty, Producer Madhukar Kotian and the team of Fingerprint Films shared their experience, “The detailed and meticulous planning and pre-production was worth all the effort. Appreciation by our industry peers and the audience that connected with its message and spirit and endorsed it made it even more special. It was exciting to work on a unique film like this one that required cricket to be depicted as a medium to tell a story of communal harmony rather than as an event in itself."

The music was composed by Rohan-Vinayak.

Peer views

Jagdish Acharya

Jagdish Acharya, Founder-Creative Head, Cut The Crap, said, “While the film shows its intent through a feel good shot at the end, the script and its execution are very deliberate. If the group of youngsters are going for a match of cricket, why such menacing expressions? Why pick up stuff like brick and glass bottle? While there is an explanation for the same, it's unconvincing -- who would use a glass bottle for bails? The film is full of red herrings and is pressing for surprise. It doesn't really flow smoothly. It is obvious that there won't be a riot else a brand won't associate with it. So, I think the scripting is where the problem began.”

As for not really doing any hard-sell, Jagdish said, “The world over, Benetton is known for telling a visual story without doing any product sell. This film definitely stands true to the brand core of United Colors. But it could have been conceptualised and executed in a much better way.”

Charles Victor

Charles Victor, National Creative Director, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, said, “The intent is absolutely right. I think we all need something positive when the news we consume is so filled with negativity on the subject. That being said, I felt the storyline ended up being a little expected and the actual game in the end didn't seem so surprising. Maybe that's because it's something that happens for real in everyday life. I think there was an opportunity in having something surprising as the reason they come together and that would've probably made the ending unexpected. Great effort though by the brand in doing something for good and it's reassuring to know that brands do really believe that they can do something for good.”

Simi Sabhaney

Simi Sabhaney, CEO, Dentsu India, said, "The film keeps you tense, on the edge of your seat, hoping against hope that good sense prevails. The tempo picks up, the mood brightens and once again the religion which unites our country saves the day! A rather provocative and bold narrative by Benetton. The message is quite loud and clear -- play can indeed heal differences. Some scores are best left unsettled. Nice."

The TVC:

https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/bmi/media/post_attachments/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/United-Colors-of-Benetton-sports.jpg

Credit list:

Presented By: Terribly Tiny Talkies

Production House: Fingerprint Films

Director: Karan Shetty

Executive Producer: Madhukar Kotian

Producer: Vijay Carvalho

Concept: Kumail K Changezi, Karan Shetty, Chintan Ruparel, Amrit Paul, Jenai Dalal

D.O.P: Jishnu Bhattacharjee & Sujit Anand

Music Director: Rohan & Vinayak

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