Paani ka Doctor

The Aquaguard ‘Paani Ka Doctor’ TV commercial (TVC) is a clever concept aimed at reinforcing the brand. Aquaguard (from Eureka Forbes) from its inception has been has claimed to be an expert in water purification. In all Aquaguard TVCs, as far as I can remember, features a character who is supposed to be a representative from Eureka Forbes, he visits a home and educates the household regarding dangers of drinking unpurified water and explains benefits of using Aquaguard. When Aquaguard was first introduced the consumers did not have much of a choice; they could either buy tap filters or the storage type filters which only filtered the water and did not do anything else, the filter pores actually became breeding ground for harmful bacteria. The other alternative for people was to use Ion Exchange’s Zero B or filter the water and then boil it.

Since Aquaguard was the first purifier in the consumer segment to use sophisticated technology the product/brand proposition was very clear: We are experts in water purification and we are concerned about your (consumer) health, our product will give you safe drinking water.

Water purification technology further evolved over the years and along with it there came new players posing a challenge to Aquaguard; today its principle competitors seem to be Kent and Pureit. There are other competitors as well but they are relatively small players and their ads are not top of mind.

Kent made its debut only a few years ago, it was the first to talk about RO or reverse osmosis and gives reasons as to why water purified by Kent is even better than boiled water. The company has made use of star power; Hema Malini is the face for the brand, in some of the TVCs her daughters are also featured. She is not only a spokesperson for Kent but is shown as a caring mother who is concerned about the health of her children; she is apparently a person who mothers would relate to – a role model.

As for HUL’s Pureit, its advertising mainly stresses on three features: As safe as boiled water, Passes USA germ kill test and Auto switch off. All these benefits but without using electricity and running water. The latest Pureit TVC claims that it removes one crore virus from one litre of water and is as safe as boiled water.

While Kent thought of using a celebrity mother and Pureit goes the demo route, the current TVC of Aquaguard follows its usual structure but the message is clear and is differentiated from its competitors' – You cannot risk your family’s health, there are other purifiers and their claims are many, but do not get confused. You should only trust Aquaguard because it is nothing less than – Paani ka doctor.

The use of ‘Doctor’ makes the difference and attempts to place Aquaguard at a higher level in the consumers’ minds. The TVC inspires confidence after all it is the doctor one depends upon in case of illness. The TVC also shows a laundry list of claims with tick marks which Aquaguard addresses, this part of the TVC is of a very short duration to make any impact but what makes an impact is undeniably the role of the child and his interaction with the man from Aquaguard. It is this interaction which makes us remember and like the commercial. The child steals the show, the manner in which he hugs the man from Aquaguard symbolizes the confidence one can have in the product/brand. Overall the ad is well scripted and executed and stands out of the clutter.