Some ads that are solely and wholly responsible for driving my BP Northward these days:

1. Coke's Open Happiness ad

I have heard of Open Sesame but this 'Open Happiness' thingy is simply beyond me! Sure, a bottle of coke might be a nice compliment to mommy dearest's minced meat pie or lasagne. But in India, I cannot see it go hand in hand with Rajma, Dal-Chawal or Idli. When we were kids, a surefire way to make my mom angry would be to pour a generous amount of Thums Up (still my favorite!) in a glass at mealtime. Like drinking and driving, I don't think home-cooked Indian food and Coke mix!

2. Kellogg's

I boil with rage every time I see the ad that waxes eloquent about how one can lose weight on a diet of just 2 servings a day of its particular cereal. Huh? Isn't cereal an item to be had for breakfast? And last time I checked, breakfast was the most important meal of the day. When did they change the rules? And why the hell weight loss ads always feature ladies when God knows that there are enough obese men with their overflowing bellies roaming about the Indian streets.

Each time this ad comes up, I am reminded of what a friend once told me. Mother of one of her friends saw this ad and wondered how eating 2 servings of this magic food can bring down the weight. Her exasperated daughter had to explain that these 2 servings were all that one was supposed to consume for 2 weeks!

3. Idea

The message is very relevant and the last few ads had brilliant execution in my humble opinion. But I think that the image of Abhishek Bachhan peering out of a tree trunk is positively revolting. Not An Idea, Sirji :-(

The list is endless but let's take a commercial break :-)