I think the new Vodafone ‘Blue’ Facebook Mobile Phone is a GREAT IDEA!
Why?
- Its a great way to connect with Young People. Vodafone is very nicely leveraging the ‘hippiness’ of facebook and creating a nice ‘sweet spot’ beyond its slightly corporate and maybe fun ‘zoozoos’ image.
- I like the partnership. The hardware is Chinese. The ‘Software’ is Facebook. The Platform is Vodafone.
- I am sure that a ‘switch on’ and ‘log into facebook’ phone has lots of users in India. This package brings it all together. Important to note that no one would have bought this Chinese something phone as a stand alone instrument (accessing FB on Android etc is normal – but this is so goddam easy)
- The 5k pricing creates impulse. I’m not sure of the ‘extra’s’ that involve data charges etc, but its worth a ‘trial’.
- Its a great LOCK IN. Anyone else doing the same will now be a COPYCAT. Its a pity coz I associate VIRGIN with Facebook (first), but Vodafone stole their glory. Airtel lucked out.
Now, the AD:
Oh sweet lord who ON EARTH CAME UP WITH THIS???
This is West Side Story meets Nukkad – gone horribly wrong:
– I have 15 year old and 12 year old girls – they will puke at this ‘theatrical’ thingy…
– What’s with the LENGHT OF THIS ‘PLAY’??? I mean next they will be performing this at the NCPA and Prithvi in Mumbai!!!
– The Cost seems horrendous – I can just imagine some big fat agency guys having made their entire years P&L positive thanks to this. Check out the sets, the actors, the singers etc etc – what a waste
– The ‘metaphors’ are SO OUT OF CONTEXT to FB – Puppets, Maids that look like they were in a Porno Movie (with dusters, stockings and short skirts)…????
– The rhyming is SAD and BAD – Notifications and Vacations???? DUDE – WHEN U ARE ON VACATION, YOU CANT GET SEND REPLIES OR COMMENTS THAT LEAD TO NOTIFICATIONS !!!
– The Corus sings ‘ Its a great place to be on Facebook’ – OH REALLY??!!! Hmmm… how come I haven’t heard of Facebook before!!
THE TRAGEDY:
The Airtel AD with Friends would have been IDEAL for this phone.
Simply Said – You can’t have your Cake and Eat it too….but thankfully the Cake looks nice!
*****
Rabi Gupta
When I watched this First time, my reaction was- “OMG! Facebook is now going with TV ads??”
At the end it says Vodafone, but the ad talks about Facebook features as if no one knows about them. At the end Vodafone remark hardly impresses anyone. Using FB brand to create own image makes Voda looks like a loser !!
kinnari thacker dave
Ditto