Making Memories

What is a tourism film if it isn’t a visual delight; so captivating that it makes you want to pack up and leave. You’re in for a surprise, then, because the latest ad by Madhya Pradesh Tourism is anything but. Forget eye-catching, perfectly angled, brightly lit or even thoughtfully-posed photographs. The minute-and-a-half long ad takes a trip down the memory lane — quite literally, through a montage of tinted tourist photographs.

The film is called ‘World’s Most Honest Tourism’, and for all the right reasons. Mahesh Gharat, chief creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather, explains, “Unlike previous MP Tourism ads, this time our brief was to show the state through the tourists’ perspective, and not as a tourist destination. In a way, we had to reverse everything we had done so far. So we collected photographs from archaelogists, friends and family, and when that fell short, we travelled to MP ourselves.”

It’s no easy task, creating an archive of over 400 photos and yet give a glimpse of the major tourist spots, Gharat adds. We’re talking about jumping shots in front of Gwalior Fort, posing with stuffed tigers at Lalbagh Palace, pinching the Orchha Fort, and so much more. Add to that a catchy tune, and you can’t not hum along. When it comes to MP Tourism, no two ads are ever the same — from shadow theatre to bobbleheads, we’ve seen a lot of unconventional . It’s all in the element of surprise, and devoid of the mainstream promotion, the latest stop-motion lives upto its predecessors’ reputation.