"Good communication is all about changing human behaviour"
Communication is not about North or South; it is about creating unified advertising that reaches the entire country, say leading advertising experts
Brands are aspiring to reach out to consumers, and the most instrumental factor in doing so are the creatives that they produce for higher engagement and connect. Creative agencies are continuously trying to create effective brand communication to attract the audience. But the question is, do the South Indian markets require specially created advertising, completely tailor-made for them? Does national advertising appeal to the South Indian market as much as state-centric advertising?
Senthil Kumar, National Creative Director, JWT India pointed out that the term ‘Madrasi’ was coined by North Indians who were ignorant of the fact that there are four separate states in the South. There are various nuances in the four markets and the differences are not always obvious. “How can one hope to unite the entire region with generic communication and a single tagline when people talk, think and consume differently?,” he asked.
Kumar added, “Think Tamilian, think Kannada, think Telugu and think Malayalee for your brand and its communication will be lost in translation. When one travels abroad, it becomes imperative to learn the language, to adapt, adopt and live by the rules of the land. Similarly, when a new brand is making a foray into the South, it needs to exhibit an understanding of the people and their local contexts to be successful. If the brand chooses not to do so, then it is called Terkulai (suicide) in the market place.”
In contrast, Shaleen Sharma, Partner, National Planning & Strategy Initiatives, RK Swamy BBDO shared the importance of universality of any communication that is required in the advertising business. He noted, “It is about human emotions, and human emotions are varied. Anthropology says that there are 10 or 12 universal human drives that cut across cultures. Differences will always exist, but our responsibility as ad makers or culture crafters is to capitalise on a particular emotion. We live in a world where the universality and similarity of ideas travel. For example, corruption as an issue affects everybody and cuts across cultures. By trying to emphasise on differences only, we are not doing any service to the ideas.”
Madhukar Sabnavis, Vice Chairman & National Head, Discovery & Planning, Ogilvy & Mather India remarked, “When you tap into emotions, you do reach some people. However, whom you reach is very important. If global brands such as Ponds, Motorola, Cadburys, and Lenovo tried to bring global campaigns to India that don’t suit the Indian palette, the consumer connect will be lost. When any global brand comes to India, they try to localise the content. At a broader level, ideas can be the same, but what touch the consumer are the execution and the expression of the idea.”
KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, India Sub-continent, Leo Burnett highlighted the differences in ways of thinking and said, “We are people, not consumers. Advertising is not about cracking some silly jokes, and marketers are not stupid to entertain you without any substance. Good communication is all about changing human behaviour and creating communication that helps the brand grow. It is not about North or South; it is about creating unified advertising that reaches the entire country.”
Sabnavis wondered, “Are we over simplifying? Are we making the same mistake as the west by painting all of India the same? If so, then we need to change our thinking, because ideas travel, but executions don’t.” He also opined that there is an opportunity to connect at local levels by customising the communication for each market and quoted Paul Harris, who had once said, “Consumers globalise, people don’t.”
Propounding the universality approach, Sharma cited the example of Thums Up’s ‘Aaj kuch toofani karte hain’ campaign, where the essence of the idea remains intact, but the adaptation for different markets changes. He urged advertisers not to celebrate the differences too much, but to tap into the power of universality.
Kumar referred to the protests in Madurai in 1965 against making Hindi a mandatory language. Comparing the US and India, he noted that America has one wood, whereas India has five woods – Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood and Sandalwood. He also commented on how not one dubbed movie has been a hit in other languages in the last several years of cinema and spoke about how ‘3 Idiots’ was not dubbed in Tamil but was remade in Tamil with a different cast, context, location, and story.
Both Senthil Kumar and Sabnavis agreed that familiar faces and expressions generate better consumer connect. Advertising has to be specially created and crafted with local context, linguistic nuances and like-minded expressions for each South Indian market. This thought was contested by Sridhar and Sharma, who argued that the dialect in our country changes every 22 km. Thus, it is not possible to create separate ads for one global brand, rather universalisation is the way forward.
Madhukar Sabnavis, Senthil Kumar, KV Sridhar, and Shaleen Sharma were speaking at a debate organised by IAA in Chennai on January 31, 2014.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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ShareSwapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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