Types of Bangladeshi TV commercials
You're not a true Bangladeshi unless you have stared at a marathon of TV commercials as you patiently waited for a show to resume. It is normal to wonder whether you've sat down for an Eid-er natok or to binge watch advertisements of a certain coconut oil which doesn't have bleach in it.
Here I present you 9 types of TV commercials I found while painfully watching only commercials for this article.
1. Toothpastes and Body Sprays
I'm tempted to put this as number 1 because honestly these commercials are just plain ridiculous. Raise your hand if you have ever smelled a person's toothpaste-breath from across the room. I certainly haven't. Even fish breath doesn't travel that far. And whoever can prove that the scent of a complete stranger's body spray has attracted them to the point where they have unspoken permission to sniff the stranger's armpits? Shame!
The amount of body spray the models use isn't an attraction factor but simply a choking hazard.
2. Fairness Creams
I thought we were living in an age where our skin colour doesn't matter. But apparently not, because these fairness creams have done a good job in promoting the concept that achieving a whitened face is as important as obtaining a GPA 5. They have gone as far as correlating career success and marriage proposals with how much lighter a person's face is. What are these supposed to teach young girls who are struggling to emerge from societal restraints of a rural community?
3. The Music Videos
Then there are some companies that legit turn their ads into music videos. How music and dance are connected to a telecommunication brand, I have no idea. Then there are ads where a woman is singing and nodding her head, but then she has an outfit change every few seconds, tricking me into thinking it's an ad for a clothing brand; at the end it turns out to be *drumroll* a melamine plate commercial.
4. Detergent
I am so tired of seeing comparisons of different washing powders. I know at the end the brand that challenged the others will win because let's face it, that's what always happens. And all they seem to convey is any muted colour is a disgrace and that pure white or bright colors are the necessity of life. No, I am not tempted to throw away my neutral pieces.
5. Snacks
Some brands try to sell their packaged cookies and chanachur by showing they evoked a sweet childhood memory with the first bite or instilled energy in someone so much that they danced around the house and made everyone happy. But what if I don't like the first bite and spit it out? Seriously, if a pack of chips can make someone so happy, why not volunteer to give them away to depressed people instead of selling them?
6. Rock n' Roll
Some commercials try to address the youth population by incorporating dangerously loud rock music that could permanently damage ears. The loud jams rattle people's brains so much that they switch the channel before it even gets to the product.
7. Female Empowerment
These are some rare gems that can be found once in a while in the form of cosmetics and feminine products. These are the ones I really love because they are not only promoting their products but also extending the wings of women's empowerment. This type of commercial should pop up more since they encourage people to be open-minded about gender equality.
8. Building Materials
Fairly new or less heard of rod and cement companies advertise their products by showing diagrams and laboratory tests complicated enough to get a normal person's head frazzled. It becomes easy to believe that a certain rod is earthquake resistant or will last 100 years without rusting. But how do you know it will last that long? 100 years haven't passed since that rod was invented.
9. Soaps
They seem to completely ignore the existence of lotion and perfumes. Just a bar of soap can give you all the moisture in the world, an alluring scent, and beauty so breathtaking that it will put all designer clothes and jewellery to shame.
Despite my hyper constructive criticism, our advertisements have grown in quality over the time. I have seen some really swoon-worthy and heart touching commercials. Yes, sometimes they may seem too unrealistic but they manage to attract the crowd anyway and get embedded deep into our heads.
Like I said, you are not a true Bangladeshi unless you have randomly quoted a commercial or broke into a jingle once in your life.
Mashiyat Nayeem has a genuine phobia of onions and identifies as a chocolate connoisseur. She spends her free time making relatable memes or hunting down the next great book. Check them out at [email protected]
Comments