As i sit and pen this article down, there is a song that is running through my head. And it has been ringing since last night. Contrary to what some of you may think, this is not a popular melody by an equally popular artist or a Bollywood film. It is an ad jingle. And a very annoying one at that. Those of you who have seen the recent “Dish Sawaar Hai” Ad campaign of Dish TV feauturing Sharukh Khan will get my point.
Such is the reach and genius of advertising. Making something as drab as a dish antenna connection stay in minds for so long. Not that this is the first. The popular Ad Agency Everest’s Tortoise Mosquito Coil ad campaign revolutionised the concept. Today, we have Mortein with their “Louis Machchar” campaigns which are a reverbrating hit, as well. It is quite amazing, if you think about it, of how good advertising can make seemingly mundane, everyday products come alive and entice potential customers to buy them. Case in Point example of my previous statement is the hugely popular “Zoozoo” ad campaign by Ogilvy & Mather for Vodafone. Those white, egg-like figures invaded our lives and we let them. And in the process, were imprinted by Vodafone’s branding.
Advertising seems to cut across divides and capture one and all. The In-Your-Face ads that seem to rule the roost, in our country today are a classic example. So much so, that people look forward to watching advertisements on TV!
There is also the debate on whether Television Advertising is the crux of the industry today. And while i remain non committal on if it is, one just has to look at the level of advertising in newspapers and magazines to dispel the debate, itself. However, there is no doubt that Television advertising may have a wider impact as it can employ songs, videos, and other entertaining jargon to get the point across.
Ad-wars. We all know what i am referring to, for we have seen companies take pot-shots at each other through their advertisements. I’d say this is great as the public benefits from the competition trying to outdo each other and admit it, we all love a little bit of mud-slinging. There is also the age old mantra of roping in celebrities to endorse products and no doubt, it works as the public loves to emulate what their idols do. But, on the other hand, we have witnessed so many ad campaigns sell products without the help of star power. Again, it all comes down to what you do with the product and its image before you advertise it. It also depends on the kind of product that is being advertised. Considering, for example, our own products. Tractors. It remains to be seen if we can boost our sales by roping in, say, Amitabh Bachchan, to endorse them. Then again, since we target the rural market, we cannot be very sure of our Television or Print campaigns reaching prospective customers because we do not know if the media is accessible to them as widely as it is in the urban areas or if they will get influenced by our advertising.
No easy job, advertising. Seeing that a lot of research goes behind drafting of portfolios and the works, for an ad campaign. But there is no denying the fact that in our country, it is probably the best thing to have happened to marketing and branding.