When will the ad guys get to more sensical and relevant???? Not in a week end in any case...
Blast the week end guys... !!!!
Showing posts with label ad mad world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ad mad world. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Expect the unexpected- Part I (the best of Adformula series)
If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea. ~David Belasco
The client sold chocolates and candies...and was good in that...We ( My second agency which took me to Europe) handled the creatives and the going was smooth..they werent a trouble making client ..No IKE 's.. no shocking surprises... no tantrums.. a dream client....
They came up with a new type of candy which would cause a "revolution" as per their brand manager ..It was as normal as any other candy form out side and when one starts eating but as you go in.. voilaaaaaaaaa it rocks..it turns sour...funny...shocking.. and then slowly you start liking it...that unconventional taste of this new candy starts slowly tickling you, and by the time you finish it you fall in love with it......oooppppssss..... you even feel that all those sweet candies which you had been having all these years were bland and insipid.The agency went celebrating...the product as described by the client ( for every crow and for even a crow, its baby would be the most charming, the most attractive thing in the world).. and before we guys could troop to the nearest bar for the success that was going to be ours ( the ad guys are bad guys---we celebrate the success that may come, will come , most likely come, shall come ,is coming, come, ohhhhh it didnt come...anything is a reason to celebrate..), the client gave the One liner that was what was going to be the brief....
'Expect the unexpected'...It said simply...
The brains cluttered together, confused, confessed and confined, astray and astute, wild and vivid, varied and voracious, vocal and vociferous....everyone thought thought and thought..but nothing evolved except crap and holy crap......Finally the one evolved, did so from a junior client service guy who had just joined, who had an Egyptian father and a Danish mother ( he looked like Menses 2 the Pharoah of Egypt..and we called him MUMMY...) it was some story which some one somewhere had told him which had this climax.....
It was simply stunning....
To be continued...
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As originally published on July 31, 2006 and republished under best of Adformula series...!
The client sold chocolates and candies...and was good in that...We ( My second agency which took me to Europe) handled the creatives and the going was smooth..they werent a trouble making client ..No IKE 's.. no shocking surprises... no tantrums.. a dream client....
They came up with a new type of candy which would cause a "revolution" as per their brand manager ..It was as normal as any other candy form out side and when one starts eating but as you go in.. voilaaaaaaaaa it rocks..it turns sour...funny...shocking.. and then slowly you start liking it...that unconventional taste of this new candy starts slowly tickling you, and by the time you finish it you fall in love with it......oooppppssss..... you even feel that all those sweet candies which you had been having all these years were bland and insipid.The agency went celebrating...the product as described by the client ( for every crow and for even a crow, its baby would be the most charming, the most attractive thing in the world).. and before we guys could troop to the nearest bar for the success that was going to be ours ( the ad guys are bad guys---we celebrate the success that may come, will come , most likely come, shall come ,is coming, come, ohhhhh it didnt come...anything is a reason to celebrate..), the client gave the One liner that was what was going to be the brief....
'Expect the unexpected'...It said simply...
The brains cluttered together, confused, confessed and confined, astray and astute, wild and vivid, varied and voracious, vocal and vociferous....everyone thought thought and thought..but nothing evolved except crap and holy crap......Finally the one evolved, did so from a junior client service guy who had just joined, who had an Egyptian father and a Danish mother ( he looked like Menses 2 the Pharoah of Egypt..and we called him MUMMY...) it was some story which some one somewhere had told him which had this climax.....
It was simply stunning....
To be continued...
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As originally published on July 31, 2006 and republished under best of Adformula series...!
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Ad Funda --- Account review
Account review is by definition ,the process undertaken by an organisation to review the quality of service that it is getting from its ADVERTISING AGENCY ,with a view to determine whether it can get better or more profesisonal service from that agency OR A NEW ONE .The phrase often in practise disguises an ardous, tedious and tiresome (and costly too) process that is emotionally disturbing and draining , the end of which a winning agency is selected...
Dissatisfaction with a client or turnover in the chief-marketers/brand manager's post at the clients side may cause a review but in some cases it happens as a routine also.. yet other cases as I have seen the Marketing team would be glad at its agency but the others will have a problem that will lead to a review !... In the first scenario, the decision to participate in the review is one heck of a pain for the incumbent agency because the chances according to some studies, to hold back the account is just 10%...
As some one said..
There is no standard set of rules and do's and dont's as to how to conduct an account review. Accounts( clients) generally compile a list of outside agencies ( the ones with which they are not already doing business) and scan their work to know their expertise, experience and reputation. They can also include other agencies that are handling their other brands( one client like LEVER has many brands and each brand is dealt with a different agency in a system called 'Roster') and ask them to pitch for the brand whose advertising is in review. the incumbent agency is required to fight against all these new ones...Questionnaires are sent out, a lot of discussions with peers of the marketing world happens and some 4-5 agencies get shortlisted for the final game called as 'pitching'. The end of which in theory clears the air, but in practise again more vagueness remains...
Dissatisfaction with a client or turnover in the chief-marketers/brand manager's post at the clients side may cause a review but in some cases it happens as a routine also.. yet other cases as I have seen the Marketing team would be glad at its agency but the others will have a problem that will lead to a review !... In the first scenario, the decision to participate in the review is one heck of a pain for the incumbent agency because the chances according to some studies, to hold back the account is just 10%...
As some one said..
"if you have a shitty relationship, and the business goes up for review, it’s going to be difficult to suddenly become something great for them from that starting point.....If the relationship is good, then, of course, you defend it with everything you’ve got.”
And shitty it will be unless the relation has been total, permanent, and equal.....
The famous case of Crispin ,Porter & Bogusky getting back with 'thanks but no thanks' when Volkswagen invited its agency of four years to repitch its $200-million-plus ad account last month, raised many an eyebrow........ the agency logic :-“As a rule, we do not participate in reviews for our current accounts, and this will not be an exception.” The outsider may be a little perplexed at this refusal to DEFEND its creativity but for the agency it is a question of pride ,made to look like practicality. The raised eyebrows because, declining to defend when the consequence is waving goodbye to a fat and prestigious ad budget in a poor economic environment is simply and audacious statement that an agency makes... critics apart, when the pitch and review is unjustified from the agency point of view, then why the farce of a pitch and presentation again....?
And when the fact is that nine out of 10 times, defending is a waste of time and money the incumbent agency either says a 'thanks but let me go', or participates 'for the heck of it'... If the agency has failed to demonstrate its value in a way the client appreciates during their normal relations,then when a review happens, you’re staring from a much deeper hole than the bright shiny new objects of desire that a pitch offers....
Some times ( or is it too often ?) the clients go over board to review and review ,again and again in vain attempts to shift the blame and balls for its own failures or simply to proove 'who is the boss'..... the recent case of 'Reckitt Benckiser forcing Euro RSCG (my former agency), its incumbent global agency, to defend a chunk (the Nurofen account) of its £800 million advertising business twice in last four months.....!!!
As they say..."What counts in making a happy relation is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility."
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For a related article click here .......................
Saturday, October 03, 2009
The Fun Gun !!!
Two guys are moving about in a supermarket when their carts collide.
One says to the other, "I'm sorry - I was looking for my wife."
"What a coincidence, so am I, and I'm getting a little desperate."
"Well, maybe I can help you. What does your wife look like?"
"She's tall, with long hair, long legs, firm boobs and a tight ass.What's your wife look like?"
"Never mind, let's look for yours!"
Reminds me of agencies who run behind what others have ,no matter how old and ugly is the one in hand, it is better than two in the bush !!!
Have a funfilled week end folks !!!
One says to the other, "I'm sorry - I was looking for my wife."
"What a coincidence, so am I, and I'm getting a little desperate."
"Well, maybe I can help you. What does your wife look like?"
"She's tall, with long hair, long legs, firm boobs and a tight ass.What's your wife look like?"
"Never mind, let's look for yours!"
Reminds me of agencies who run behind what others have ,no matter how old and ugly is the one in hand, it is better than two in the bush !!!
Have a funfilled week end folks !!!
Friday, September 25, 2009
The technology flooded customer.. (the best of adformula series)
How information savvy are you?,,,,
How saturated are we with flow of information?....
Or is saturation a light description of the "how' things are as of now...?
A study ,which I read in some news a month back ( may be it has become outdated by now...), says an average Indian who lives in a metro and who has access to all the communication tools of the day..the "infosexual" ...( eureka,,, eureka.... I have got the term...) gets around 7ooo + information criscrossing his brain on any given day ( Dr Paul MacLean as quoted by Micheal Heppel- says "the brain is a triune brain ie :- with three parts... The Reptilian brain, the limbic system and the neo cortex....")OOOf was it too complicated.?.
Any way it doesnt matter....So the point is... all those information making the receiver go MAD--- Message A Day Index as the communications industry has "aptly" named the phenomenon......Information deluged human beings,attend selectively, distort lavishly and retain sparingly....Voila.... poor Marketing comunicator ( read advertiser....)..how do you make sure that your communication stands above the deluge..like the great arch by Noah...Be creative...In
creative content as well as
choice of media....See one example here..it is brilliant..eh? ..the friskies outdoor actually carries food for the birds...now can any one simply ignore that...MAD or bad ..such creative stuff hits the TGBe bold and different.... saw the &*%$ sucker ad..? the idea is simple..Dowry is the dirtiest word..any other word,,,even the dirtiest of swearing, would become a day to day lingo in comparison...
bold and beautiful ..aint it?
Now whats the lesson....for an academic couchpotato it is easy to advise..right you ad guys out there..?
It is easy to play from the gallery ...but right in the field the heat will burn your ass right...?
But I belong to the TG... and I will see u only if u want me to see u.. talk to me in my language...Got it... or are you caught in the deluge... deluge of vanity...?
(This article is published again under the best of adformula series and was originally published on June 19, 2006)
Friday, July 03, 2009
Videocon- Oscillate and be bald !
“Harsh necessity, and the newness of my kingdom, force me to do such things and to guard my frontiers everywhere.” Says an ancient quote…
It seems the latest in the new logo- new identity- me too modern bandwagon, Videocon is a bit confused…. Dull that they always were in their ads and communication, no matter the Shahrukhs and Dhoni’s who danced and exchanged their roles to promote the brand , now this new logo and the logo logic looks more boring and mundane than one could imagine….
In the past we have seen a parade of new logo unveilings and all the logo logic..Everytime I see a logo change, I laugh… the guys behind will have a tough time designing it, placing it, selling it, reaching it to the people, selling its logic and yet the general feel is the same.. all the banks who did such change in the past-Canara bank, South Indian bank etc etc are still the same as far as the customer is concerned…well leaving that and taking on the Logo logic part, the Uniliver logo logic was the biggest one and yet the most convincing… Union bank of India too did a reasonably fair job, Axis bank was wonderful .. Hutch to Vodafone was awesome.. Even India post did a better job than this VIDEOCON thing,,,,
Not that the new logo is bad, but the way the ads are made out, and the way the logo logic appears in media… Videocon ostensibly has poor PR, no media management and absolutely have never heard of 360 degree communication….
Aspiring to get international ..? ahem ahem… !
Until October 2006, Videocon called itself "the Indian multinational". When O&M came on board in January 2007 (taking over from R K Swamy BBDO), the agency opined that the tagline, although suitably corporate, did not strike a chord with consumers. ( New Agency as a matter of rule will replace everything and anything that the old agency has left behind... ) Thus the Indian MNC got the "Whatever role life gives you, play it big’'.. I doubt whether the guys at Videocon understood it because by May 2008 they started searching for a new bed partner.. O&M really became the mistress who fell out of the masters favour.
The reasons were plenty ,including an incredible amount of management churn at Videocon, with an exodus of sorts coming into play. In the midst of all that chaos, Videocon expressed dissatisfaction with its agency and called for a pitch. Even as the pitch progressed, Videocon was struggling to put its marketing team in place... and by the time they put a team in place O&M lost the account and Satchi& Satchi won it...The stud that Videocon is, now I am told that Satchi is sidelined into a few divisions and the corporate brand per se is handles my TAG Mccann... The rest is history...
The new symbol of Videocon asserts its passion for global impact, and the two ‘E’s on either side represent the Group’s wide spectrum of interests ranging from ‘Electronics to Energy’. Along with the steely glint, this communicates the group's global ambition, its strength, sterling credentials and innovative drive. A symbol that proclaims a paradigm shift. A sign that represents the new force that is Videocon. Thus recapitulating our principle of reaching out and touching the lives of millions of people. Worldwide.
Goes the Logo logic……. why is simple thing called life made complex by certain people..
What is that ad all about? What is it trying to say? Will some one from TAG or Satchi or some one new,,,(?) please explain...?
"The biggest challenge for the agency will be to retain the business,” told a friend at that point of time when Satchi won the 250 cr account, because “Videocon tends to be fickle with its agencies. ..."
My kids surely giggled and got amused seeing the cartoon stuff but is it why Videocon spend all the money through their bleeding ass to revamp its brand identity?
Who is to blame?
There was a rich old man...in his late 40's who got married the second time to a young beautiful but poor lady. After the initial rosy days the young lady started repenting....She wanted the old man to look a BIT more young... she plucked his white hairs one by one ,in what she thought as the best idea to make him look young.
The problem was just to begin. The man's first wife discovered this and thought that he should be really taught a lesson... strangely but ,she too saw the man's hair as the problem... she when he lay asleep pluck all his black hairs....
Oscillation, guys make people bald !!!
Some one is listening?
Also read... My previous post on Brand revamps...
Bank on me !!!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Geojith-BNP paribas- where Copying is an art !
“Man is an idiot. He doesn't know how to do anything without copying, without imitating, without plagiarizing, without aping. It might even have been that man invented generation by coitus after seeing the grasshopper copulate.”
See this ad… for those who have seen it already see it again….
Great isn’t it.. ? What an idea! What a matching tagline! What an execution!.. What transparency! I’m thrilled ….
Now see this Argentine ad which runs back to 2000 …..
Euro RSCG Mumbai and their client Geojith – BNP Paribas... No idea who fooled whom but remember the old saying …..”None but blockheads copy each other”.....
Tail piece :-
COPYING once in an exam hall in a remote village, a boy was continuously peeping at another students answer sheet. The subject was English. The teacher noticed him & asked as to what he was trying to copy when the question paper was not delivered.
The boy said : Miss, spelling of English.
See this ad… for those who have seen it already see it again….
Great isn’t it.. ? What an idea! What a matching tagline! What an execution!.. What transparency! I’m thrilled ….
Now see this Argentine ad which runs back to 2000 …..
Euro RSCG Mumbai and their client Geojith – BNP Paribas... No idea who fooled whom but remember the old saying …..”None but blockheads copy each other”.....
Tail piece :-
COPYING once in an exam hall in a remote village, a boy was continuously peeping at another students answer sheet. The subject was English. The teacher noticed him & asked as to what he was trying to copy when the question paper was not delivered.
The boy said : Miss, spelling of English.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Avista-simplicity scores !
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. ~Henry David Thoreau
The ability to simplify simply shows the ability to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak and the unnecessary will keep quiet . Now having said that How SIMPLE is that? Could that be made any more complex? Why then I keep writing about simple communication as the most powerful one and the most reached one… KISS rule.. ( dats one of my favourite rules in advertising for obvious reasons !!!)
The reason is simple…Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction… the Avista language school ad from Sweden and made long back in 2000 is proof enough (again!) of the simple fact that simple ads score, reach, hit and last long in the TG….
Remember… Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication ….
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Fun Gun !!!
This is quite possible in the ad mad world also... or is it happening already between clients and their agencies????
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
All that Glitters !!!........ part I
“The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one's self...... All sin is easy after that.”
Ram looked confused and that was no news for Guru for Ram always looked so. This time they had pitched and won a famous Kerala jeweller with show rooms across the world catering to the gold crazy mallu’s and others who got charmed by the sheen of the yellow metal.
Sagarika could be moved into this account.. said Ram, ostensibly because as a female she would know more of Gold and could do a better job than males …..
What the hell.. she shouted…. Have you ever seen me wearing gold? For that matter I don’t even know how much does it cost,….she lamented and fell on the bean bag…
Do you at least know how do they sell gold? …asked Guru the magnificient…. I mean… kilos, meters, liters…?
Shut up…. U ass… she screamed….
See Sag, Ram and Guru… pitched in the strategy guy Naresh , stroking his long beard on which the whites shared an equal space with the blacks…
It is simple… the Kerala gold market is messy,huge and confused…. He said with his glasses slowly dragging down as if slipping by the revelation….
So..? The other three looked at him for the next episode….
So… when a market is already confused our job is easy... We don’t have to create the confusion… we will add on to the noise, keep repeating the same things, 916 and all the bla bla…
916 is there everywhere people.. said Guru… as if only this guy of ours have it…
It is there and it is mandatory but how will the idiot who buys know it… he will think GR888888888 about it… said Naresh with sarcasm at the Indian buyer and disdain at their buying habits…
We will have to have something else now that 916 is being said by every one….
Hmmm…. Murmured Sagarika…. Some thing… will that something click…?
Not just something… something which means something…. Corrected Naresh… like the ASLI SWAD ads.. which amended the category behavior and induced adults consuming chocolates…
Guru let out a yawn at the gyan that the strategy guy let loose….
We should entertain them…. amuse them… said Sagarika with a glee,,,,
Come on Sag….. said Ram with his eye brows arched up in disbelief… when was the last time you bought gold because the seller entertained you….
This is not in the impulse category my dear… clarified Naresh…. You gotta give them pay offs….
Like?..... asked Ram even as Guru slowly leaned over to him half asleep… the afternoon Saravana bhavan lunch was acting on him…
Like we should declare something that is there with everyone… or that could easily be there with everyone but we will flaunt it as if we discovered it…
Like what…? Every one will have ..916… said Ram…
The purity claims.. the claims of tradition…added Sag
The variety and fashion to choose from.. said Naresh….
The price tag… said Guru with a stupid smile….
The other three got stuck….
What did you say?.... shouted Naresh
Well… rrr… I am sorry…. Dat was just fun… said Guru….. I take it back…
No No… said Ram…. Guru..you said it… isn’t it Naresh….?
Wow.. man… that is amazing… muaahhhhhh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sagarika jumped and kissed the hapless guys cheeks… her large frame and the mass of flesh almost crushed him to death….
The price tag…. We will make it the triumph card…. our new USP..........Eureka……. Shouted Naresh as he stood up dancing…..
We did it ..we did it…. shouted Ram and Sag as they danced with Naresh over some strategy which for Guru looked like a group of kids dancing over some cheap toy….
He sat there unable to decide… was it real??? Or are the guys just making fun???
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The angry wife met her husband at the door........ There was alcohol on his breath and lipstick on his cheek.
"I assume," she snarled, "that there is a very good reason for you to come waltzing in at six o'clock in the morning?"
"There is." he replied, "Breakfast."
To be continued >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.................
Ram looked confused and that was no news for Guru for Ram always looked so. This time they had pitched and won a famous Kerala jeweller with show rooms across the world catering to the gold crazy mallu’s and others who got charmed by the sheen of the yellow metal.
Sagarika could be moved into this account.. said Ram, ostensibly because as a female she would know more of Gold and could do a better job than males …..
What the hell.. she shouted…. Have you ever seen me wearing gold? For that matter I don’t even know how much does it cost,….she lamented and fell on the bean bag…
Do you at least know how do they sell gold? …asked Guru the magnificient…. I mean… kilos, meters, liters…?
Shut up…. U ass… she screamed….
See Sag, Ram and Guru… pitched in the strategy guy Naresh , stroking his long beard on which the whites shared an equal space with the blacks…
It is simple… the Kerala gold market is messy,huge and confused…. He said with his glasses slowly dragging down as if slipping by the revelation….
So..? The other three looked at him for the next episode….
So… when a market is already confused our job is easy... We don’t have to create the confusion… we will add on to the noise, keep repeating the same things, 916 and all the bla bla…
916 is there everywhere people.. said Guru… as if only this guy of ours have it…
It is there and it is mandatory but how will the idiot who buys know it… he will think GR888888888 about it… said Naresh with sarcasm at the Indian buyer and disdain at their buying habits…
We will have to have something else now that 916 is being said by every one….
Hmmm…. Murmured Sagarika…. Some thing… will that something click…?
Not just something… something which means something…. Corrected Naresh… like the ASLI SWAD ads.. which amended the category behavior and induced adults consuming chocolates…
Guru let out a yawn at the gyan that the strategy guy let loose….
We should entertain them…. amuse them… said Sagarika with a glee,,,,
Come on Sag….. said Ram with his eye brows arched up in disbelief… when was the last time you bought gold because the seller entertained you….
This is not in the impulse category my dear… clarified Naresh…. You gotta give them pay offs….
Like?..... asked Ram even as Guru slowly leaned over to him half asleep… the afternoon Saravana bhavan lunch was acting on him…
Like we should declare something that is there with everyone… or that could easily be there with everyone but we will flaunt it as if we discovered it…
Like what…? Every one will have ..916… said Ram…
The purity claims.. the claims of tradition…added Sag
The variety and fashion to choose from.. said Naresh….
The price tag… said Guru with a stupid smile….
The other three got stuck….
What did you say?.... shouted Naresh
Well… rrr… I am sorry…. Dat was just fun… said Guru….. I take it back…
No No… said Ram…. Guru..you said it… isn’t it Naresh….?
Wow.. man… that is amazing… muaahhhhhh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sagarika jumped and kissed the hapless guys cheeks… her large frame and the mass of flesh almost crushed him to death….
The price tag…. We will make it the triumph card…. our new USP..........Eureka……. Shouted Naresh as he stood up dancing…..
We did it ..we did it…. shouted Ram and Sag as they danced with Naresh over some strategy which for Guru looked like a group of kids dancing over some cheap toy….
He sat there unable to decide… was it real??? Or are the guys just making fun???
***************************************************************
The angry wife met her husband at the door........ There was alcohol on his breath and lipstick on his cheek.
"I assume," she snarled, "that there is a very good reason for you to come waltzing in at six o'clock in the morning?"
"There is." he replied, "Breakfast."
To be continued >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.................
Friday, April 24, 2009
Celebrity circus.... Recession time Advertising....
Recession has hit all of us as different reasons, for most of us as an excuse or a pretext ....
The Pepsi youngistan campaign was a bit odd considering the fact that it was led by an SRK who was 40 plus… Recession has taken its toll on the deal when Pepsi refused to renew the contract and instead felt happy and YOUNG with Deepika, Ranbir Kapoor and Dhioni….Sachin got out from Pepsi as well, and so did Hrithik Roshan from Coke…
It seems the bad times for SRK is giving him sleepless nights.. Hyundai ended the long association with the Fauji Guy whilst Toyota said a sweet goodbye to Amir khan…Katrina Kaif has deseated the most beautiful Aishwarya in Nakhstara diamonds while she did the same with Sushmita in Pantene..L’ oreal is now with Sonam Kapoor, loss Aishwarya, and BSNL ( the amazingly rich and blissfully boring ) is now with Deepika, loss Priety Zinta…
Now this is definitely eye catching and attention grabbing but is it going to be a change that the ad industry was looking for?
The money part, is the same… considering the fact that a Deepika will charge no less than a Rani, if not more…
The old faces are too familiar and hence people may not have the charm in spite of the brand spending crores on the contract is an argument that I thought will stand closer to reality..But hey…. Isn’t Deepika over exposed…? Isn’t Dhoni seen everywhere? Every damn product and brand..? (Thank God he don’t sell Mysore sandal soap any more)….
Is this the change the ad world wanted?
Will this oscillation from Tom and Dick to Harry and Martha help??
The comfort zones in which the people in Advertising (the agency, the clients and the others) is often a no entry zone for others…. Its often known to everyone that there could be a better solution and a better option but what is it?
In normal circumstances, normal actions would do…. But in abnormal circumstances………., should people go MAD?
Need not be, for sure but people got to think really really abnormal… For me at least for God’s sake it doesn’t make a bloody difference whether it is Genelia, Deepika or Preity Zinta who cries, convinces ,cajoles ,seduces and stops me to buy what they sell…
I am living with a cut in my salary … Damn it !!!!
It’s a mad rush for young blood in the celebrity endorsement scene….the recession that has hit the world so badly seems to have chucked the age old celebrity circus that ruled the roost .The Venerable guys who sat on the thrones of the Indian celebrity endorsement empire are all now slowly being shaken… some are already our and some are there in the queue…
Post March ,the new financial year has given the brand owners a lot of scope to rethink on the wrinkled faces that sold their wares… recession as some one said is a reason, and excuse and an apology for anyone to do anything….and here we are seeing the likes to the great SRK, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Sushmita Sen, Priety Zinta etc etc etc giving way to the likes of Katrina, Deepika, Priyanka, Genilia ( the stupid Cadbury’s perks ad is disgusting though!!) and the hot Dhoni who sells anything from Bikes to Fans…
Post March ,the new financial year has given the brand owners a lot of scope to rethink on the wrinkled faces that sold their wares… recession as some one said is a reason, and excuse and an apology for anyone to do anything….and here we are seeing the likes to the great SRK, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Sushmita Sen, Priety Zinta etc etc etc giving way to the likes of Katrina, Deepika, Priyanka, Genilia ( the stupid Cadbury’s perks ad is disgusting though!!) and the hot Dhoni who sells anything from Bikes to Fans…
The Pepsi youngistan campaign was a bit odd considering the fact that it was led by an SRK who was 40 plus… Recession has taken its toll on the deal when Pepsi refused to renew the contract and instead felt happy and YOUNG with Deepika, Ranbir Kapoor and Dhioni….Sachin got out from Pepsi as well, and so did Hrithik Roshan from Coke… 
It seems the bad times for SRK is giving him sleepless nights.. Hyundai ended the long association with the Fauji Guy whilst Toyota said a sweet goodbye to Amir khan…Katrina Kaif has deseated the most beautiful Aishwarya in Nakhstara diamonds while she did the same with Sushmita in Pantene..L’ oreal is now with Sonam Kapoor, loss Aishwarya, and BSNL ( the amazingly rich and blissfully boring ) is now with Deepika, loss Priety Zinta…
Genelia displaced the old Rani from Perks ( her ads were better I guess ) and from Fanta (no comments !)…Asin ( the slim mallu girl) who shot to fame after Gajni is now with every brand and every market, so much so that her brand is under dilution than the brands that she endorses.. but who cares? When the sun shines, the clever ones make the hay!!!
Now this is definitely eye catching and attention grabbing but is it going to be a change that the ad industry was looking for?
The money part, is the same… considering the fact that a Deepika will charge no less than a Rani, if not more…
The old faces are too familiar and hence people may not have the charm in spite of the brand spending crores on the contract is an argument that I thought will stand closer to reality..But hey…. Isn’t Deepika over exposed…? Isn’t Dhoni seen everywhere? Every damn product and brand..? (Thank God he don’t sell Mysore sandal soap any more)….
Is this the change the ad world wanted?
Will this oscillation from Tom and Dick to Harry and Martha help??
The comfort zones in which the people in Advertising (the agency, the clients and the others) is often a no entry zone for others…. Its often known to everyone that there could be a better solution and a better option but what is it?
In normal circumstances, normal actions would do…. But in abnormal circumstances………., should people go MAD?
Need not be, for sure but people got to think really really abnormal… For me at least for God’s sake it doesn’t make a bloody difference whether it is Genelia, Deepika or Preity Zinta who cries, convinces ,cajoles ,seduces and stops me to buy what they sell…
I am living with a cut in my salary … Damn it !!!!
************************************************
Tail Piece :-
A rich, dying man, laid on his deathbed, requested to be joined at his bedside by his vicar, his bank manager and his lawyer.
He instructed them that he wished to be buried, when he finally passed away, along with all his money. He gave each of them fifty thousand pounds and asked them to throw the money on top of his coffin, in the burial plot, when he died.
A couple of days later the old man passed away and was buried within the week. At the wake, the three men were chatting and the vicar was suddenly overcome with guilt. He confessed to the other two that he had only thrown only half of the money onto the coffin, as the church needed urgent repairs to the roof.
The bank manager thought, ‘What the heck if we are having a confession,’ and told the other two men that he had also only thrown half the money in, as the ‘Credit Crunch’ was hitting hard and he needed some money for the bank to stop it going bust.
The lawyer jumped up and said to the other two, ‘I think that is a shameful act on both of you. I threw a cheque in for the full amount!”......
Monday, March 30, 2009
Advertising -the Axe effect>>>> Part III
Dear Ann:
I have a problem. I have two brothers.
One brother is in advertising, the other was put to death in the electric chair for murder.
My mother died from insanity when I was three years old.
My two sisters are prostitutes, and my father sells narcotics to high-school students.
Recently I met a girl who was just released from a reformatory, where she served time for smothering her illegitimate child to death, and I want to marry her.
My problem is, if I marry this girl, should I tell her about my brother who is in advertising?
(Plaque presented to Arnold Barban by the staff of Leo Burnett on his retirement from the agency.)
********************************************************************
Media and its role...
Media is commercialized. Profit is the very idea and competition is very much around, threatening. Recession and the resultant media expenditure cuts are eating into the revenue streams of media houses. (IPL may be an exception though.)
Just like Coca-Cola having Pepsi, Colgate having Pepsodent and Hero Honda having Bajaj, Star Plus has Sony, Sun has Vijay and x has y…... The more the competition, the more you have to commercialize and then, it is the sponsor or the ad agency that decides on what program should be on air and when….. if you think this is MISERABLE, so be it… watch a channel like Asianet and you will know how media violates all the norms to show ads than the actual programmes and make money ,I guess I should say mint money….Here I guess one should also admit the fact that some programmes, or many of them of the serial and reality show genre are disgusting watch than the commercials that 
interrupt them... care fully observe when you get home today, this phenomenon is there happening even at your home...
Practically all the shows and soaps, which we see are controlled by the advertisers…. ( I know that it is not news for you ..many of you..!!) Many people wonder why there are so many ads around. The simple fact is that without ads all these media will be costlier- more price for newspapers and magazines and more money for the cable operator. And as the corporate preferences about media change,( new media forms come up every day) media has to stoop many times for existence.
Reports show that local media which has largely ignored by the corporate before, now has started gathering more attention. Local cable channels mop up any where between 15% - 30% of audience share in prime time as per a recent Business World report. The fact that Grocery store chains like Food World, with many outlets across , spends pittance on mass media budget, but in abundance on local media is proof enough…
Print ads are generally considered less effective and hence less offensive, because they can be easily ignored but T.V and internet ads are more intrusive and often distasteful T.V ads appeal to all senses, they encircle, capture us in a carefully woven web.
The question of ethics ?
Giants like Hindustan Lever with its gigantic product mix and multitudes of brands and varieties of each brand in each product line, hence adopt a strategy of continuous communication with the customer in a well planned “pull strategy” and they are what they are today. Seemingly harmless ads, which appeal to our emotions like love and fear, are also not so harmless on a second thought. Hue and cry was raised against media for having shown some ads. Kamasutra and Moods resorted to enact a bedroom with all the sensuality associated with it in their ads only to be opposed far and wide.
Indian hypocrisy has now to a large extent died down, compared to the olden days when even the Liril girl in her bikini was considered a blasphemy and moral police troops worked overnight to send her into a bath room… When Marc Robinson and the girl in the KS ads were seen like devils, when Milind and Madhu were accused of being the reason for all the ill’s of thei otherwise heavenly nation…
Having said that, I must also say that Ad makers also go over board some times….How can any one substantiate the use of half – naked women in coffee and tea ads, talcum powders “for men” which drives women behind and lipstick stains on a man’s body? There was some coffee ad which showed a bed room, with its full glory and action, and 20 seconds of a 30 sec commercial went for the jerking of the bed leaving a mere 10 second for the brand name and the product to be shown and sold. No one wonder I don’t remember the brand name ( read it again !! I said SOME coffee ad )…Most of the people who saw the ad didn’t see the coffee thing… those few who saw it kept wondering whether to have coffee before bed or after bed !!!!
Even liquor is advertised, mostly in disguise as a soda or a plan water of the same brand name…. this is when it is clear to the thinking common man ( that is a new tribe in India) that a Vijay Mallya does not need a Kingfisher Mineral water to survive…..
The media, it is clear should play a more reasonable role but then the big question comes – on what cost and at whose expense?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Airtel- magic realism...
There is a kid in every one .. even in the most moronic of us… and the kid somewhere at some point of time would have done this … this self assuring phone call to his dad and its desired effect is simple and we all have done it, some way or the other and that makes this a good one….
Done by Rediffusion Y&R a new angle … the trust angle, which is a hygiene factor, is bought in to the Airtel communication which the agency believes and claims to be having a far more fascinating than the network angle… Airtel which shocks(often) the poor viewers with out of the world crazy stuff, often infected with an overdose of celebrity virus, comes down to earth some times, gets sensible and talk to us in simple terms and makes us smile.. smile in agreement.. this ad is one of them.. no big hungama,,,, no brouhaha , no quagmires and hardwork to some how fit in a parade of stars who at the end of the day outsmarts and outlives the brand…
Magic realism as someone called such stuff, this realization that with Airtel you are never disconnected is a subtle message that gets into the information cluttered minds in a passive way… Even though in my flat in the heart of the city, Airtel simply fools me by refusing to show signal, this conspicuously uncomplicated ad baffled me the first time I saw it…then the more I saw I fell in love… Virej Dasani the kid, has done a wonderful job by not acting and just living, and the guys who made it ostensibly didn’t try to cultivate any bogus innocence out of the boy… Kudos for that…
Kudos to the entire team…Ramanuj Shastry, national creative director, Rediffusion Y&R, Deepesh Jha, creative head for the script, Vinyl Matthew of Footcandles for the direction…. And others…
Let this ground sense prevail…..
Tailpiece: Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising........ Mark Twain
Read my other blogs also... Chickencurry & Confusion .....................
Monday, March 09, 2009
The Recession conundrum& Agency blues...
The husband leans over and asks his wife, 'Do you
'Yes', she says, 'I remember it well.'
'OK,' he says, 'How about taking a stroll around
'Oh Jim, you old devil, that sounds like a crazy, but good idea!'
A police officer sitting in the next booth heard
The elderly couple walks haltingly along, leaning on each other for support aided by walking sticks. Finally, they get to the back of the tavern and make their way to the fence. The old lady lifts her skirt and the old man drops his trousers. As she leans against the fence, the old man moves in.. Then suddenly they erupt into the most furious sex that the
The policeman is amazed. He thinks he has learned something about life and old age that he didn't know..After about half an hour of lying on the ground
So, as the couple passes, he says to them, 'Excuse
Shaking, the old man is barely able to reply, 'Fifty years ago that wasn't an electric fence' ……
My good old friend Raj who works as a Client servicing sup in a reputed Ad agency came online and was available to chat after a LONG time... recession and the related under employement I guessed, when he suddenly said Hi...
Raj: Hi man...
me: hey dude.. wassup?
Raj: cool man…njoying…
me: hehehe you sound like you just had an orgasm?
Raj: well nothing much to do so yeah kinda orgasm…now we face (like most of agencies here another probs….we can't release ads
me: ?
Raj: huge payment backlog to publications…
me: hmmmmmm
Raj: so they are not accepting the material that we send them for publishing…
me: ohhhh why u guys aren’t clearing it???
Raj: so we tried another 2-3 agencies to release through them atleast…. they also have same probs….
me: sounds tricky…..
Raj: so if they are insisting on a no release, we can very well close down….
me: shit……but who is keeping it pending….you guys or the clients?
Raj: client is paying us it seems….we roll it for some other things…. complete goof up
me: now that is totally unfair… now how u expect media to accept it?
Raj: True.. I am handling the account and now I don't know what to tell them…
me: u ask your bosses… the rolling stones…..
Raj: hehehe… you will be shocked…they are also clueless
me: huh.. what the fuck man…?
Raj: they are all ready to leave… it looks like no one has any idea about what it is going to be… recession is the reason.. but I don’t understand how in March it is affecting us.. it should be after March only….We even thought its like Austerity you know... but now we know its all goof up....
I left Raj there and started wondering… why do some people, never come back to life in spite of electric shocks?
Why is my beloved industry like this?
Also read my other BLOGS... Chicken curry & Confusion
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Advertising... behind the axe effect>>> Part II
Continued from Part I>>>>>
The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague. ~Bill Cosby
Ads are glossy, glamorous and often larger than real life. Consumer products often try to sell itself, not for the product but for what the product promises. It is plain fact that, by using a product it is not possible to become or feel like some other person- a film star or a cricketer, still fair and lovely claims glowing fairness within days and abundantly sells itself capitalizing on the weakness of the Indian public for a fair skin. Equating light skin with beauty is a deeply rooted perception across Asia and in pursuit of brand success corporate giants like Ponds and Fair & Lovely has kicked up more fuming controversies that fairer skin . It has been seen more and enough in this blog in the past and hence let me leave it alone here…..
The human desire is to look young, smart, beautiful, handsome, cool, slim, happy, glowing, rich, pompous, different and what not…Each such desire is an opening for the marketer and advertising is the greatest weapon for the purpose. To put it simply if we have desire to reduce obesity we have a score of products from VLCC to suction therapy, Sugar free and Herbal tea to Diet Coke and Pepsi and all those TSN products, advertised through poorly dubbed stupid looking hour long miserable programmes which often question our commonsense.
India with its middle class (one of the largest in the world) and with the on going task of globalization, with all the 100 plus TV channels and numerous magazines and newspapers, all the websites and portals, and an average of six thousand messages passed on through every educated Indian mind (MAD index), on any given day and a barrage of products from LCD to local agarbathies and from laptop computers to loose garments in various brand names, the task of the advertisers is getting tougher day after day. He not only has the difficult job of telling the viewers that his product is the best, to build a brand preference, but has to, by hook or cook, tell and make them believe that the “other” products are useless. Comparative advertising; stooping below a certain level becomes a dirty mocking game as the cola war demonstrated and recently the Horlicks vs Complan war amply described. Thumps-Up and Pepsi, pooh-poohing each other using a khan or other and Sprite with its new set of realty ads, flavored with humour, after every new ad by the other one are all bearing testimony.
Can marketers create needs? As per the theory, NO. But in practice, he can create an unnecessary want. A middle class family has a need for daily washing their clothes but may not necessarily want a washing machine for that purpose. A successful marketer through the advertisement and campaigns fits into this “gap of thought” and makes the selling possible.
For a middle class man the resources are less and the wants are more. Living in a world saturated of advertisements, designed as scientific and informative, somewhere down the line, he obliges. He resists the temptation ultimately by yielding. Sometimes, the appeals are so strong and touches the viewers so intensely that there is no rethinking. As an end result, any average family today has to budge by compulsion rather than conviction. Horlicks or Viva for the “complete growth of children”, use Pepsodent, Colgate or Close- Up for “hundred percent germfree teeth” and total protection, feed new born babies with Nestle grow-up milk or Junior Horlicks, and worse use a Johnson’s baby soap to wash a two year old to keep its skin soft and “same to same” as a just born baby.
The Dandi salt Ad, which claimed the vital importance of salt that too, Dandi salt for the intellectual growth and brain development of children which hit the air some time back is still my favourite example of a STUPID ad…. This ad pretending to be scientific and rational hide the fact that dogs and dolphins do not consume salt and even before the advent of this salt there were intelligent people living in this country. And to be scientific and simple, salt has nothing to do with intelligence.
There are questions we never ask ourselves. We see an ad and ignore it. We repeatedly see an ad, we remember it, so that next time we walk to department store for purchase, it works and positively influences our brand preference. There is no such thing called as brand loyalty, in many consumer products like salt because of the habitual buying process associated with it, and it is proven fact that consumer have low involvement with most low cost, frequently purchased products. So the marketers have to repeat because ad repetition creates brand familiarity rather than brand conviction. Lie or no lie- repetition is the mantra.
Now the world is so small and so flooded with products and brands. The USP and ESP’s have changed. Health of children and of the family and wellness and beauty is a main concern for upper class and middle class people and this weak spot is gently but tactfully touched in many ads. Hence all the claims of 24 hours are oral protection, slimness in 30 days and fairness in a week. Pretentious USP’s like –“stain champions” from Henko, “colour guard” from Sunlight, “stain cutters” from Vim bar and “kid stains” from Surf and “friendly chemicals” from Friendly wash are examples of how “creative” our advertisers can be. Such newly coined words and ideas generally create wonders in the market but how long is an omnipresent question….
Close-Up released “shade card” with its toothpaste only to be matched by a “germ indicator” from Pepsodent. “Bio” was the buzzword and being bio or herbal was a short cut to success. Marketers understood the growing awareness among the educated class about the merits of vegetarianism and being close to nature and hence we had “bio fresh L.G.” and “Eco-freshetarian” Samsung and even “Eco drive watches” from Citizen. Fair and Lovely promoted its herbal version made with “Kumkumadhi Thailam” and it worked in the market. With celebrities like Meneka Gandhi endorsing products like Chandrika soap more credibility got associated with such products….
But this game was not to last for ever….
Tail piece: Advertising is like marriage. There may be a better way, but what is it?
The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague. ~Bill Cosby
Ads are glossy, glamorous and often larger than real life. Consumer products often try to sell itself, not for the product but for what the product promises. It is plain fact that, by using a product it is not possible to become or feel like some other person- a film star or a cricketer, still fair and lovely claims glowing fairness within days and abundantly sells itself capitalizing on the weakness of the Indian public for a fair skin. Equating light skin with beauty is a deeply rooted perception across Asia and in pursuit of brand success corporate giants like Ponds and Fair & Lovely has kicked up more fuming controversies that fairer skin . It has been seen more and enough in this blog in the past and hence let me leave it alone here…..
The human desire is to look young, smart, beautiful, handsome, cool, slim, happy, glowing, rich, pompous, different and what not…Each such desire is an opening for the marketer and advertising is the greatest weapon for the purpose. To put it simply if we have desire to reduce obesity we have a score of products from VLCC to suction therapy, Sugar free and Herbal tea to Diet Coke and Pepsi and all those TSN products, advertised through poorly dubbed stupid looking hour long miserable programmes which often question our commonsense.
India with its middle class (one of the largest in the world) and with the on going task of globalization, with all the 100 plus TV channels and numerous magazines and newspapers, all the websites and portals, and an average of six thousand messages passed on through every educated Indian mind (MAD index), on any given day and a barrage of products from LCD to local agarbathies and from laptop computers to loose garments in various brand names, the task of the advertisers is getting tougher day after day. He not only has the difficult job of telling the viewers that his product is the best, to build a brand preference, but has to, by hook or cook, tell and make them believe that the “other” products are useless. Comparative advertising; stooping below a certain level becomes a dirty mocking game as the cola war demonstrated and recently the Horlicks vs Complan war amply described. Thumps-Up and Pepsi, pooh-poohing each other using a khan or other and Sprite with its new set of realty ads, flavored with humour, after every new ad by the other one are all bearing testimony.
Can marketers create needs? As per the theory, NO. But in practice, he can create an unnecessary want. A middle class family has a need for daily washing their clothes but may not necessarily want a washing machine for that purpose. A successful marketer through the advertisement and campaigns fits into this “gap of thought” and makes the selling possible.
For a middle class man the resources are less and the wants are more. Living in a world saturated of advertisements, designed as scientific and informative, somewhere down the line, he obliges. He resists the temptation ultimately by yielding. Sometimes, the appeals are so strong and touches the viewers so intensely that there is no rethinking. As an end result, any average family today has to budge by compulsion rather than conviction. Horlicks or Viva for the “complete growth of children”, use Pepsodent, Colgate or Close- Up for “hundred percent germfree teeth” and total protection, feed new born babies with Nestle grow-up milk or Junior Horlicks, and worse use a Johnson’s baby soap to wash a two year old to keep its skin soft and “same to same” as a just born baby.
The Dandi salt Ad, which claimed the vital importance of salt that too, Dandi salt for the intellectual growth and brain development of children which hit the air some time back is still my favourite example of a STUPID ad…. This ad pretending to be scientific and rational hide the fact that dogs and dolphins do not consume salt and even before the advent of this salt there were intelligent people living in this country. And to be scientific and simple, salt has nothing to do with intelligence.
There are questions we never ask ourselves. We see an ad and ignore it. We repeatedly see an ad, we remember it, so that next time we walk to department store for purchase, it works and positively influences our brand preference. There is no such thing called as brand loyalty, in many consumer products like salt because of the habitual buying process associated with it, and it is proven fact that consumer have low involvement with most low cost, frequently purchased products. So the marketers have to repeat because ad repetition creates brand familiarity rather than brand conviction. Lie or no lie- repetition is the mantra.
Now the world is so small and so flooded with products and brands. The USP and ESP’s have changed. Health of children and of the family and wellness and beauty is a main concern for upper class and middle class people and this weak spot is gently but tactfully touched in many ads. Hence all the claims of 24 hours are oral protection, slimness in 30 days and fairness in a week. Pretentious USP’s like –“stain champions” from Henko, “colour guard” from Sunlight, “stain cutters” from Vim bar and “kid stains” from Surf and “friendly chemicals” from Friendly wash are examples of how “creative” our advertisers can be. Such newly coined words and ideas generally create wonders in the market but how long is an omnipresent question….
Close-Up released “shade card” with its toothpaste only to be matched by a “germ indicator” from Pepsodent. “Bio” was the buzzword and being bio or herbal was a short cut to success. Marketers understood the growing awareness among the educated class about the merits of vegetarianism and being close to nature and hence we had “bio fresh L.G.” and “Eco-freshetarian” Samsung and even “Eco drive watches” from Citizen. Fair and Lovely promoted its herbal version made with “Kumkumadhi Thailam” and it worked in the market. With celebrities like Meneka Gandhi endorsing products like Chandrika soap more credibility got associated with such products….
But this game was not to last for ever….
Tail piece: Advertising is like marriage. There may be a better way, but what is it?
Also read my other BLOGS... CHICKENCURRY & CONFUSION
Friday, February 20, 2009
Advertising & Recession- Why should it coexist? ...part III
6. Advertising makes you innovate
What is advertising for you?
Innovate the reason to advertise when you see the slump. Tell yourself what it is for you.
A tool to react to competition?
A tool to keep your brand growing?
A tool to keep your buyer informed?
A tool to announce new products? Variants?
If you advertise only because your competition also does and they cut back during recession, you also do it. But remember the competition’s objective may not be yours even if both are in the same category. Pepsi and Coke are selling cola and in the same war but the strategies need not be same. One is the leader and one is the follower. Even if, or to see it the other way round it is better to keep the marketing spending on particularly if your competition has cut it. And in any case the grounds to advertise during the happy season may not be the same to advertise during sluggish times. It has to keep going.
7. Seeing is believing
More so during dull times this rule is applicable. When you are not to be seen, as compared to your omnipresence when the boom was on, you will be seen with suspicion. The brands are friends as well .The friend who disappears during bad times will not be trusted. The customer needs to be constantly told how you are with them and how much you are working to help them by supporting them with cost effective offerings.Imagine a B2b firm who disappears from a trade show that they are part of year after year one year due to recession, just to cut costs. There can be better ideas to save money but one needs to think beyond the obvious. To quote Zyman “If you don’t stay on top of the situation, you will be right back where you started: building the brand from scratch. The logic is simple.
What is advertising for you?
Innovate the reason to advertise when you see the slump. Tell yourself what it is for you.
A tool to react to competition?
A tool to keep your brand growing?
A tool to keep your buyer informed?
A tool to announce new products? Variants?
If you advertise only because your competition also does and they cut back during recession, you also do it. But remember the competition’s objective may not be yours even if both are in the same category. Pepsi and Coke are selling cola and in the same war but the strategies need not be same. One is the leader and one is the follower. Even if, or to see it the other way round it is better to keep the marketing spending on particularly if your competition has cut it. And in any case the grounds to advertise during the happy season may not be the same to advertise during sluggish times. It has to keep going.
7. Seeing is believing
More so during dull times this rule is applicable. When you are not to be seen, as compared to your omnipresence when the boom was on, you will be seen with suspicion. The brands are friends as well .The friend who disappears during bad times will not be trusted. The customer needs to be constantly told how you are with them and how much you are working to help them by supporting them with cost effective offerings.Imagine a B2b firm who disappears from a trade show that they are part of year after year one year due to recession, just to cut costs. There can be better ideas to save money but one needs to think beyond the obvious. To quote Zyman “If you don’t stay on top of the situation, you will be right back where you started: building the brand from scratch. The logic is simple.
8. Advertising is an Investment in Success
Advertising gives you a long-term advantage over competitors who cut back or cancel advertising . A survey of more than 3,000 companies found that advertisers who maintained or expanded advertising over a five-year period saw their sales increase an average of 100 percent, and companies that cut advertising grew at a less than half the rate of those who advertised steadily.Competition is competition pre recession, during recession and post recession. The pie of the market cake that is yours, to keep it intact at least, advertising has to go on. And even other wise for second and third players in a given market, it is the right time to change competitive positions by wise spends, extra pressure and use of creative strategies. Looking for cheaper creative and cheaper production however because recession has come, will end up in a disaster and make your brand look cheaper.
9. Advertising Keeps Your Business Top-of-Mind during recession
With Shoppers with lighter wallets roaming in malls from store to store comparing prices, quality and service, top of the mind recall has become more important than in good times. Some may even stay at home postponing buying decisions unless it is that pressing or that extra ordinary. Advertising must get in touch with them progressively through the complete decision-making process. Your name must be fresh in their minds when they decide to buy .
Now that is a dream which to be true, you need to be seen, constantly and consistently. Bigger brands many a times make the mistake of switching off their engine after they have attained a certain height. It is ostensible, what will come about in such a case.
10. Advertising Gives Your Business a Successful Image
In a competitive market, bad news travel fast both within the firm and outside. Advertising kills rumours by telling the buyer and the market place of your buoyancy and vibrancy and that in turn boosts the morale of everyone from the employee to the buyer. The more so when there is a crisis situation, the ad agencies that handles you will be more bothered about the ROI, the media spends will become wise (particularly in commission based fee structures) media efficiency can be improved and asked for, and the brands will get constant attention by the agencies- both creative and media, which otherwise would have been even lacking.
Conclusion:
Advertising is a tool to successful marketing and brand building. There cannot be two opinions about it. It is a question only when bad times come and recession looms. This is an opportunity for marketers to redefine business and strike new paths than to resort to easy ways like cutting the marketing budgets. The ten points above is just to direct the reader’s attention to the fact that Advertising during Recession is not an oxymoron but instead something which can co exist. As the saying goes “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going” and only the tough gets going.
Advertising gives you a long-term advantage over competitors who cut back or cancel advertising . A survey of more than 3,000 companies found that advertisers who maintained or expanded advertising over a five-year period saw their sales increase an average of 100 percent, and companies that cut advertising grew at a less than half the rate of those who advertised steadily.Competition is competition pre recession, during recession and post recession. The pie of the market cake that is yours, to keep it intact at least, advertising has to go on. And even other wise for second and third players in a given market, it is the right time to change competitive positions by wise spends, extra pressure and use of creative strategies. Looking for cheaper creative and cheaper production however because recession has come, will end up in a disaster and make your brand look cheaper.
9. Advertising Keeps Your Business Top-of-Mind during recession
With Shoppers with lighter wallets roaming in malls from store to store comparing prices, quality and service, top of the mind recall has become more important than in good times. Some may even stay at home postponing buying decisions unless it is that pressing or that extra ordinary. Advertising must get in touch with them progressively through the complete decision-making process. Your name must be fresh in their minds when they decide to buy .
Now that is a dream which to be true, you need to be seen, constantly and consistently. Bigger brands many a times make the mistake of switching off their engine after they have attained a certain height. It is ostensible, what will come about in such a case.
10. Advertising Gives Your Business a Successful Image
In a competitive market, bad news travel fast both within the firm and outside. Advertising kills rumours by telling the buyer and the market place of your buoyancy and vibrancy and that in turn boosts the morale of everyone from the employee to the buyer. The more so when there is a crisis situation, the ad agencies that handles you will be more bothered about the ROI, the media spends will become wise (particularly in commission based fee structures) media efficiency can be improved and asked for, and the brands will get constant attention by the agencies- both creative and media, which otherwise would have been even lacking.
Conclusion:
Advertising is a tool to successful marketing and brand building. There cannot be two opinions about it. It is a question only when bad times come and recession looms. This is an opportunity for marketers to redefine business and strike new paths than to resort to easy ways like cutting the marketing budgets. The ten points above is just to direct the reader’s attention to the fact that Advertising during Recession is not an oxymoron but instead something which can co exist. As the saying goes “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going” and only the tough gets going.
To quote Prof Andrew Raseghi “ If you are already in the process of tightening your belt anyway, you might as well consider investing in a new pair of pants.”
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
It pays to advertise !!!
Republished under the best of Adformula series....
The fish, it never cackles
'bout it's million eggs or so,
The hen is quite a different bird,
one egg-and hear her crow.
The fish we spurn,
but crown the hen,
which leads me to surmise:
Don't hide your light, but blow your horn.
it pays to advertise
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Why should I advertise?
Can you do business without advertising?
It looks familiar, often asked questions ,considering the fact that advertising money is spend on a virtually immeasurable platform.
See this story....
"A man lived by the side of the road and sold roasted chicken.
He was hard of hearing so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes so he watched no television and read no newspaper, but he sold good roasted chicken. He did however, advertise in the local newspaper telling people how good they were. He stood by the side of the road and cried, 'Buy roasted chocken sirrrrr 'and people bought. He increased his orders and bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
Then his son came home with an MBA from a city college to help him in trade and then something happened.
His son said, "Father, haven't you been listening to what people are saying? If money stays tight, we are bound to have bad business. There is a big recession coming on, you had better prepare for poor trade, if we stay on only with this business".
The old man thought..... "Well, my son has been to college. He listens to the radio, watches television and reads the newspaper and he ought to know".
So, he cut down on chicken orders given to the supplier. He cut out his advertising and took the money thus saved to venture into new areas like dealing with a local wine his sons friends made, and his sales fell almost over night. After a week it was completely gone and the old man couldnt win anything back..
"You're right son", the father said to the boy. "We are certainly headed for a recession".
Every one in business realise the necessity of advertising, which is the main reason we are carpet bombed with so many messages(The MAD [Message A Day] index in many Indian cities equals that of the west)....... The various ways a business can advertise its products is limitless, and today we no longer call it advertising but Integrated Marketing Communications. In booming business most of them do booming advertising too and when slump appears advertising is the first victim. shouldnt it be be the other way round?.
Shouldnt business spend most of its advertising budget when business is slow and cut back or retain only that level to be heard, when business is good?.
Again it depends on the type of relation the Ad agency and their corporate client enjoys..
it depends on how far the client trusts the agency during the fall..
it depends on how far the agency was also the reason for the fall
it depends on how far they could convince the client about why certain level of advertising should be maintained..
Boom or slump, it pays to advertise...Pulsar didnt look male and masculine until they started saying so.. they said and said and the otherwise front fat, ugly looks encompassed masculinity , suddenly.
Even B2B brands like Intel have made it big by careful branding and ,as part of it careful advertising... most of us havent seen an integrated chip which goes in a PC and yet the world believes that without an 'Intel Inside' mark on their PC ,it aint complete....
It is not only necessary that we do, it also is necessary that we tell it that we have done it...
"The man who fails to advertise just because conditions are a little uncertain is on par with the farmer who refuses to feed his cows because the price of butter has gone down."
Also read,,, continuousconfusion & chickencurry !!!
The fish, it never cackles
'bout it's million eggs or so,
The hen is quite a different bird,
one egg-and hear her crow.
The fish we spurn,
but crown the hen,
which leads me to surmise:
Don't hide your light, but blow your horn.
it pays to advertise
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Why should I advertise?
Can you do business without advertising?
It looks familiar, often asked questions ,considering the fact that advertising money is spend on a virtually immeasurable platform.
See this story....
"A man lived by the side of the road and sold roasted chicken.
He was hard of hearing so he had no radio. He had trouble with his eyes so he watched no television and read no newspaper, but he sold good roasted chicken. He did however, advertise in the local newspaper telling people how good they were. He stood by the side of the road and cried, 'Buy roasted chocken sirrrrr 'and people bought. He increased his orders and bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.
Then his son came home with an MBA from a city college to help him in trade and then something happened.
His son said, "Father, haven't you been listening to what people are saying? If money stays tight, we are bound to have bad business. There is a big recession coming on, you had better prepare for poor trade, if we stay on only with this business".
The old man thought..... "Well, my son has been to college. He listens to the radio, watches television and reads the newspaper and he ought to know".
So, he cut down on chicken orders given to the supplier. He cut out his advertising and took the money thus saved to venture into new areas like dealing with a local wine his sons friends made, and his sales fell almost over night. After a week it was completely gone and the old man couldnt win anything back..
"You're right son", the father said to the boy. "We are certainly headed for a recession".
Every one in business realise the necessity of advertising, which is the main reason we are carpet bombed with so many messages(The MAD [Message A Day] index in many Indian cities equals that of the west)....... The various ways a business can advertise its products is limitless, and today we no longer call it advertising but Integrated Marketing Communications. In booming business most of them do booming advertising too and when slump appears advertising is the first victim. shouldnt it be be the other way round?.
Shouldnt business spend most of its advertising budget when business is slow and cut back or retain only that level to be heard, when business is good?.
Again it depends on the type of relation the Ad agency and their corporate client enjoys..
it depends on how far the client trusts the agency during the fall..
it depends on how far the agency was also the reason for the fall
it depends on how far they could convince the client about why certain level of advertising should be maintained..
Boom or slump, it pays to advertise...Pulsar didnt look male and masculine until they started saying so.. they said and said and the otherwise front fat, ugly looks encompassed masculinity , suddenly.
Even B2B brands like Intel have made it big by careful branding and ,as part of it careful advertising... most of us havent seen an integrated chip which goes in a PC and yet the world believes that without an 'Intel Inside' mark on their PC ,it aint complete....
It is not only necessary that we do, it also is necessary that we tell it that we have done it...
"The man who fails to advertise just because conditions are a little uncertain is on par with the farmer who refuses to feed his cows because the price of butter has gone down."
Also read,,, continuousconfusion & chickencurry !!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dealing Mrs Doubtful - Marketing that did'nt...PART 1
A woman walks into a convenience store. She walks straight to the manager and asks, "Do you have any small note-books?"
"Sorry," says the manager. "We're all out."
The woman shrugs, and asks, "Well, do you have any mechanical pencils?"
"Nope, don't have that either," says the manager.
The woman feels her stomach rumbling and asks, "Do you have Geometry boxes?"
The manager shrugs, "Sorry."
"Hmmph. How about colouring books?" says the woman.
"Nope. Don't have that."
"Wow!" the woman shouts, "If you don't have anything, you should close the stupid store!"
The manager shrugs, "Don't have the key."
*****************************************************************
Let us call her Mrs. Doubtful. She wanders around the apparels shop or a white goods show room with mind full of doubt and suspicion and no one to attend to her. She symbolizes a large group of customers everywhere, in every business premise, wanting to decide and buy but unable to.
Marketing research has always tried to dissect and analyze various types of customers, and have come up with dictums like "the customer is always right” and “every customer is equal”. The same group who professes ‘value creation and delivery for customers’ classified them as platinum, gold, silver, copper, sand and even muck (let God forgive this modern day apartheid). Apparently the focus is on value to the seller (Marketer) and not the idiot who is the buyer….
Some have classified customers based on their response patterns- like Meek, Aggressive, High roller, Rip off and chronic complainer. Christopher Lovelock coined the term JAY customers to refer to dysfunctional customers who deliberately or unintentionally disrupt service in a manner that negatively affects the organization or other customers. So the rules are changing. Kings and queens, at least them who are not worth their cost of maintenance have been dethroned. Here let me introduce to you a new set or customers- Mrs. Doubtful.
Mrs. doubtful – who is responsible?
Some businesses are of high contact types, where the interaction with the customer is high and the contact points and occasions that the customer has to meet the with the organization is high. A savings bank account can be taken as an example. Here the chances of trouble between the two are more and the service provider, in many cases, takes Mrs. doubtful for a ride mercilessly. You and me have experienced that and have felt releived and good to do the ATM and NET banking types.. atleast we can avoid the barking from the other side of the counter....
Medium contact type businesses like an insurance service or post purchase stages of having bought a hi-fi music system has less calamity in terms of Mrs. doubtful getting an unfair treatment. That is except when the system refuses to sing and the seller showing a cold attitude to her calls. Her consideration set is long and vivid, and these days’ even durables look like FMCG’s with the brand influx and hence decision is long pending and she remains doubtful until the purchase.( even after that but it is a different case altogether)
Almost zero contact types like for instance a shampoo brand or a fairness soap (even failing to deliver those glorified promises) will result in almost no commotion at all.There is a better shampoo with a better promise and there is a better fairness soap with a better hope on sale and Mrs Doubtful simply have no doubts on them, she just walks in....
So the lack of differentiation and the resulting identity crisis that many brands across product categories suffer from is the main contributor for the existence of Mrs. Doubtful. The levels of doubts becomes deep and hard as the product category becomes complex, moving from habitual and variety seeking (Ref: Henry assael’s model in Philip Kotler), but the doubt exists, nevertheless.
Technology in many cases adds to the doubts. CRM methods- of course the modern IT enabled ones-in many cases leaves existing customers unhappy, who spreads their dissatisfaction among others, including Mrs.doubtful, causing more doubts in her types....
Companies in their quest for expanding their customer base often forget existing customers and run behind new ones, leaving them unhappy and causing more and more doubtfuls. Remember the old saying- an unhappy customer is your worst publicity. Old sayings are better left in the past... at least that is what our Marketing guys seem to be doing....
"Sorry," says the manager. "We're all out."
The woman shrugs, and asks, "Well, do you have any mechanical pencils?"
"Nope, don't have that either," says the manager.
The woman feels her stomach rumbling and asks, "Do you have Geometry boxes?"
The manager shrugs, "Sorry."
"Hmmph. How about colouring books?" says the woman.
"Nope. Don't have that."
"Wow!" the woman shouts, "If you don't have anything, you should close the stupid store!"
The manager shrugs, "Don't have the key."
*****************************************************************
Let us call her Mrs. Doubtful. She wanders around the apparels shop or a white goods show room with mind full of doubt and suspicion and no one to attend to her. She symbolizes a large group of customers everywhere, in every business premise, wanting to decide and buy but unable to.
Marketing research has always tried to dissect and analyze various types of customers, and have come up with dictums like "the customer is always right” and “every customer is equal”. The same group who professes ‘value creation and delivery for customers’ classified them as platinum, gold, silver, copper, sand and even muck (let God forgive this modern day apartheid). Apparently the focus is on value to the seller (Marketer) and not the idiot who is the buyer….
Some have classified customers based on their response patterns- like Meek, Aggressive, High roller, Rip off and chronic complainer. Christopher Lovelock coined the term JAY customers to refer to dysfunctional customers who deliberately or unintentionally disrupt service in a manner that negatively affects the organization or other customers. So the rules are changing. Kings and queens, at least them who are not worth their cost of maintenance have been dethroned. Here let me introduce to you a new set or customers- Mrs. Doubtful.
Mrs. doubtful – who is responsible?
Some businesses are of high contact types, where the interaction with the customer is high and the contact points and occasions that the customer has to meet the with the organization is high. A savings bank account can be taken as an example. Here the chances of trouble between the two are more and the service provider, in many cases, takes Mrs. doubtful for a ride mercilessly. You and me have experienced that and have felt releived and good to do the ATM and NET banking types.. atleast we can avoid the barking from the other side of the counter....
Medium contact type businesses like an insurance service or post purchase stages of having bought a hi-fi music system has less calamity in terms of Mrs. doubtful getting an unfair treatment. That is except when the system refuses to sing and the seller showing a cold attitude to her calls. Her consideration set is long and vivid, and these days’ even durables look like FMCG’s with the brand influx and hence decision is long pending and she remains doubtful until the purchase.( even after that but it is a different case altogether)
Almost zero contact types like for instance a shampoo brand or a fairness soap (even failing to deliver those glorified promises) will result in almost no commotion at all.There is a better shampoo with a better promise and there is a better fairness soap with a better hope on sale and Mrs Doubtful simply have no doubts on them, she just walks in....
So the lack of differentiation and the resulting identity crisis that many brands across product categories suffer from is the main contributor for the existence of Mrs. Doubtful. The levels of doubts becomes deep and hard as the product category becomes complex, moving from habitual and variety seeking (Ref: Henry assael’s model in Philip Kotler), but the doubt exists, nevertheless.
Technology in many cases adds to the doubts. CRM methods- of course the modern IT enabled ones-in many cases leaves existing customers unhappy, who spreads their dissatisfaction among others, including Mrs.doubtful, causing more doubts in her types....
Companies in their quest for expanding their customer base often forget existing customers and run behind new ones, leaving them unhappy and causing more and more doubtfuls. Remember the old saying- an unhappy customer is your worst publicity. Old sayings are better left in the past... at least that is what our Marketing guys seem to be doing....
TO BE CONTINUED >>>>>>>
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Stop Smoking !!!
How better can it get? I mean the communication that this ad is making with a bang... old one yes, done by FCB in Paris and a Winner at the Cannes, this made heads turn, people thought before they took another puff....
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Fun Gun !!!
A physician, an engineer, and an attorney were discussing who among them belonged to the oldest of the three professions represented.
The physician said, "Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession."
The engineer replied, "But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos and confusion, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine."
Then, the lawyer spoke up. "Yes," he said, "But who do you think created all of the chaos and confusion?"
Some clients are like Lawyers... aint they? just confusion and chaos....
Happy week end folks...
The physician said, "Remember, on the sixth day God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve, making him the first surgeon. Therefore, medicine is the oldest profession."
The engineer replied, "But, before that, God created the heavens and earth from chaos and confusion, and thus he was the first engineer. Therefore, engineering is an older profession than medicine."
Then, the lawyer spoke up. "Yes," he said, "But who do you think created all of the chaos and confusion?"
Some clients are like Lawyers... aint they? just confusion and chaos....
Happy week end folks...
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