dvertising for mutual funds in India has routinely followed grey hair and laid down ponderous statements about the ill-effects of depending on one�s children. Children�s career planning, however, is one segment of mutual fund advertising where we have seen some efforts to step off the beaten track. In the spirit of the category advertising, the new television commercial of UTI Mutual Fund�s Children�s Career Plan makes a conscious effort to stay away from grave assertions to drive home its point in a fun way.

The TVC opens at a birthday party, with the birthday boy blowing out the sole candle sitting atop an oversized cake. His father walks in and presents him with a police officer�s uniform - his mushy eyes giving away the dream he has nurtured for his young son. Over with the ceremonies, the father relaxes in his chair, perhaps dreaming of the day when his son will become a law enforcement officer. ... more