A woman walks into a job interview at a cavernous office cabin. A friendly voice greets her and reads out the experience points on her CV, even as she settles into her chair with a nervous smile.

“Six years in sales in Texco International. Great company, Radhika.”

“And fourteen months at Life Bootcamp Corp… never heard of that one!” he mulls.

“Oh that” she smiles, “It just landed on my lap…”

Thus begins a new viral ad by Tanishq jewellery, commemorating Mothers’ Day.

Watch it in case you haven’t yet.

Storytelling techniques that I liked in the ad:

• Mystery: If used well, a dash of mystery is one of the most engaging storytelling tools. In this case, the viewer is likely to be stumped by this fancy new organisation Radhika claims to have worked for! Of course the mystery is revealed with a satisfying insight. Which brings me to…
• Insight: I remember reading somewhere that ‘an insight is a contradiction that is obvious in hindsight’ (multiple sources like this one credit it to Sudhir Sitapati from his book, ‘The CEO Factory’). The ad manages to beautifully bring out the insight that is obvious-in-hindsight – that every mother is a leader.
• Emotions: The ad engages in you the emotions of pride, love and admiration for all mothers.
• Focus on the main story: Throughout the entire ad, the interviewer is not even shown. The spotlight is squarely on the hero of the story.
• Delivery: Notice how ‘Radhika’s’ delivery is so calm and assured. When you are confident about your story, you can take your time to tell it!

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#SOTD 52