Warning: Lots of references to Indian advertisements
A couple of months back, there were giant billboards in Mumbai - the Mom pours a packet of potato wafers which transforms and lands as oil in the kid's bowl. The caption said 'potato chips contain 25% oil'. Recently, all those billboards were replaced with Marico ads of 'Saffola Zest' with the caption "It's baked, not fried". Hmm, smart ad with a smart product placement - don't you think so? Yes and No. 'Yes' because it targets and lands well in the minds of today's consumers who can't get away without junk food, but feeling guilty of eating so. 'No' because there is potential for confusion - I can hear a consumer asking 'All through my life I have seen and known Saffalo as a cooking oil brand. Suddenly one fine day, you come and say that oil is bad. Isn't your oil used for frying?' Can you see the contradiction?
But is contradiction new Indian consumers? Let's take the case of popular Indian Brand ambassadors. Yes, the King Khan - He endorses the ultra premium Tag Heuer, then poses for the premium Bel Monte suits, the next moment he says 'Tanda Tanda.. Cool Cool' or 'Hai handsome.. hai handsome..' for Emami personal care products and for the Linc pens (the list goes on). Ok, let's take another example - Amitabh Saab. First, he makes the woman in swimsuit ogle at him (read as his premium Reid and Taylor suits), next moment he's selling Dairy Milk in a college canteen (yes, Pappu Pass Hogya!). Hmm, seems like what B-Schools teach is different from the real world - brand ambassadors have a personality and it needs to match with that of the Brand personality. Aren't these multiple personalities portrayed by the ambassadors contradicting with each other? Wouldn't it cause confusion in the minds of the consumer?
It has NOT yet. We have seen and enjoyed the same above-mentioned characters singing & dancing for the diametrically opposite "Main hoon Don" and "Pan-banaras-wala" songs. We still relate to them as actors and not as brands. We are just fine with that.
Having said so, I thought I would try something completely non-sensical: What if we replace the supposedly positioned as 'class' products with the 'Mumbai mass' products. Here we go..
- There is a custom of eating Vada Paav in Mumbai. You hold it firmly with two hands symmetrically.. open the bread.. feel the rich aroma.. have a bite.. take a pinch of fried green chilli.. It ends as: You just don't eat a Vada Paav. You earn it! (Original: Cadbury premium dark chocolate)
- [Context: Advertisements for alcohols are banned in TV, so the marketers do a smart job of promoting the brand using related products like music CDs. Suppose Mumbai corporation decides to ban eating pan in public places (with the objective of making the city clean) and subsequently all ads on pan as well. Pan sales crashes like Sensex. So, our Pan-walas engage a leading ad agency to come up with an ad to promote the consumption of Pan. The marketers find that there is high correlation between people who eat pan and those who drink cutting chaai (half glass tea). So the ad goes as follows..] The common man of Mumbai is just sitting at home watching TV, without having pan. Suddenly, a thundering sound. People are dancing outside, chewing something in their mouth.. they seem to relish everything.. It ends with the caption: Life is calling. What are you waiting for?.. Banaras Cutting Chaai. (Original: Smirnoff Cassettes and CDs)
- A series of Mumbai Local Trains go one after the other with people hanging not just around the doors, but wherever there is a bar to hold in the chassis. It ends with Mumbai Locals, Desh ki Dhadkan. (and the driver applies the brake) Dhak Dhak.. (Original: Hero Honda)
Mumbai mass is always a class apart. May be you can't just use adapted ads. You need to be innovative, at the same time comprehensible, short and to-the-point. But contradictions are fine! After all, we are Indians! :)
@Regular
The 'Emosanal attyachar' song raised the expectations for the movie "Dev D". I would say the movie was a bit of a disappointment. Yes, it was eccentric and bold.. and its way of portrayal of modern day Devdas was unique. But I expected much more humor than just the brazenness and alcoholism.
The book I was reading last week carried the title "Business Games" - thought it was to do with Game theory. But it was a verbose self-development kinda book. It wasn't path-breaking, nevertheless some of the core concepts were interesting:
- Not just in business, we just keep playing games everywhere. Most of the games are played within a frame - frames are our thoughts or the meanings we make. The frame or the context decides how we play the game. So, you can choose what game to play or how to play. So, play positive, life enriching games
- Meta thinking - thinking about your thinking, feeling about your thinking, thinking about the feeling you have for your thoughts - i.e. recursive thinking
- 4 access to our power - Thoughts, Feelings, Speech, Action. Take responsibility for all these - by Observing, Owning, Accepting & Appreciating.
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