Is mass mentality inducing crass ads?
With ads like “Tak Taka Tak Taazgi’ or ‘Taste Mein Aatka’ or the latest ‘Wakao’, are we going a little overboard in our efforts to address the masses? Are we meandering to the lowest common denominator and creativity suffering a breathless state?
Long ago, when Anish Trivedi (erstwhile RJ of the show, Good Morning Mumbai) had put in his papers at Radio Mid Day, he expressed his discontent with the mass-oriented image in the following words: “The increasing focus on a mass audience is only diluting the integrity of radio. A show like Good Morning Mumbai was never meant to appeal to the taxi driver or the paan walla. I have great faith in the intelligence of the Indian audience and I don't think that the only way to entertain them either on radio or on television is to pander to the lowest common denominator.”
With ads like ‘Tak Taka Tak Taazgi’ or ‘Taste Mein Aatka’ or the recently launched ‘Wakao’, are we going a little overboard in our efforts to address the masses? Are we perhaps (in Trivedi’s words) meandering to the lowest common denominator?
Says R Balakrishnan, National Creative Director, Lowe, “I fully agree. If you have a campaign like ‘Thanda Matlab Coca Cola’, which coined up an entire 360-degree angle around a rural phrase, you have 10 others that try and copycat their way to success. Hence, you have a multitude of me-too campaigns like ‘Taste Mein Atka’ or ‘Tak Taka Tak Taazgi.’ You can’t possibly disguise a mediocre idea with a mass-oriented phrase and expect it to work. I guess everybody’s playing around with a ‘Chal Biddu’ or ‘Maska Maarke’, because they feel that it will help in striking a chord with the masses. In the process, creativity gets killed. And the phenomenon isn’t just related to ads alone… radio stations, channels and Bollywood films – all are a part of the current trend.”
Bakakrishnan adds, “The lack of a concrete idea, that’s how you would explain the spate of ads that are (as claimed by the creative honchos) targeting the masses. You can’t get away with a really bad idea, by adding some ‘Tak Taka Tak’ line to it. That’s just an excuse, for bad creative work.”
How would Balki describe the ‘Wakao’ campaign, which was recently taken on by McCann Erickson? He grins, “Honestly, I don’t know who or what the campaign is targeted at. Don’t think that it appeals to either the masses or the classes. The idea in isolation has some merits, but it’s a badly executed campaign.”
Meanwhile, Ravi Deshpande, Head, Lemon Communications, puts his two penny on the entire affair. He states, “You can’t attribute much logic to most ads that make it to the screen. Why does everything have to start and end with a nasal tone, and an idiotic accent? The number of ads that depict villagers, or small town guys as people who can only be associated with crazy antics, is astonishing. Creative guys seem to feel, that in order to reach out to the taxi walla or the paan walla, they need to depict idiotic things in the name of advertising. Unfortunately, creativity doesn’t work that way.”
Anup Chitnis, Creative Director, Mudra, asserts, “Around four years back, we had created a character for channel V called ‘Navalkar’, who talked in a nasal tone and used phrases like ‘Gheoon Tak.’ The character managed to occupy such popularity amongst audiences that the channel uses him till this very day. Which itself speaks volumes about the merits of the idea. If there is a definite thought behind it, then mass-based ideas (accents, rural jargon etc) can work. If not, it’s just regarded as another me-too ad which is posing as a mass-based creative.”
As advertising legend David Ogilvy says, “If you are trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language in which they think.” Even with the above statement in mind, crass advertising can’t be paraded in the guise of the real thing. As Deshpande believes, it doesn’t always have to be about exaggerated accents, loud voices and idiotic antics.
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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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