irst it was mobile phones that stormed the hinterland. Now it's the turn of airconditoners to try and connect with the rural masses, if the new Voltas TV commercial is anything to go by. With a rustic setting, colour tone, music and theme, the new Voltas ad clearly aims to move the airconditioner beyond its traditional urban confines. Voltas also appears to be selling a concept more than a product in the TVC as emphasised in its tagline, 'Jaisa India ka dil, vaisa India ka AC'.

The commercial shows a little girl coming out of her house with her mother, who presumably is a domestic help. The lane they emerge into is a typical rural set-up exemplified by mud houses with thatched roofs. The little girl is carrying an empty glass jar which she tries to hide from her mother. Gradually, the scene shifts to an upscale locality and the duo enter a palatial house. Once inside, the girl purposefully runs into a particular room and closes the door. She is all smiles and takes a deep breath. Then she opens the jar and holds it near a Voltas AC. She lets the cool draught from the airconditioner fill the jar. Having collected the cool air, she closes the jar and rushes out. She makes her way towards a field, where her father is tilling the land. The little girl makes her father sit under a tree. She then opens the jar and allows the cool air to blow against his face. The man and the child are all smiles, even as the voiceover proclaims, 'Voltas. Jaisa India ka dil waisa India ka AC'. ... more