Moving on
from the “F” words…Indian Advertising.
If Indian advertising has been trending recently, it has
been for the Ford Figo Fiasco. And F words have since been used liberally
around it.
Festering at GoaFest.
Controversies still continue around Goa Fest, India’s answer
to the Cannes. Leo Burnett and BBDO followed JWT on the scam trail. Leo Burnett
‘s radio spots for Tata Salt Lite were
not paid for by its client and BBDO’s entry for DHL couriers was found to be
very similar to work done in Singapore by Ogilvy for Allied Pickford. Both
ended up having to return their awards. It is likely that many more agencies may also join that club, including
the likes of DDB Mudra, McCann Erickson, JWT, et al, if plagiarism is proved. Goa
Fest therefore, has every likelihood of festering into a Goa Farce.
Finding the
Fountainhead
There is indeed a need for the Indian advertising industry
to introspect and meditate on where it is headed and what it needs to do.
Marketing companies need advertising agencies, simply
because agencies can do something which they cannot , even if they had the
spare time. That “something”, is the
talent to unleash the drama in the given product, in a memorable manner,
through mass media. The agency therefore has to have a DNA pool , that produces
ideas which can be monetized both by the agency and the client. Awards ,to an
extent, build credibility for this claim, since they represent an endorsement
by the peer group. This is the only rational reason for awards and for Agencies
to go hunting for them.
In an interview, the head of a network mentioned that awards
actually translated into the agency being able to make better margins for the
services rendered. The awards providing credibility to the claim of superior
creative firepower within the agency.
Agency heads have therefore been pushing for metals to be
won and showcased. While this is
perfectly a valid ambition, the means adopted to meet this requirement have
been suspect at times.
Frauds and Followers .
Talent spotting and nurturing the right talent possibly has
been a casualty in agencies. Allegations of recruitment interviews becoming
“idea shopping festivals” are rife. Creative Directors are alleged to move jobs
with their own cliques in tandem. These cliques reportedly include “preferred”
vendors for film making, model coordination, photography and even printing!
Cabals emerge as power centers, driving away those who are not party to the
“setting”. These often include talented, but upright professionals. Plagiarism
of ideas within the agency and names being excluded from creative ownership
lists are also refrains heard often. Absence of genuine talent could very well
be a consequence in the agency. As an Indian saying goes, “you cannot grow
mangoes from jackfruit seeds”. Scams, plagiarized work and work done by
freelancers, find their way into award shows.
Filmi Fever
Celebrity endorsements in India have been the norm recently
with astronomical sums being paid to “brand ambassadors”. Rather than ideas that
are rooted in the product truth, it is the “celebrity fit” that seems to guide
creative ideas. The brand differentiation is therefore linked to the celebrity
endorser. Apart from the risk and implications for long term brand health, what
is worrisome is the questionable nexus between the celebrities and the Creative
Directors. Brand ambassadors end up endorsing film scripts written by the CD’s
and finally starring in it. Ads done to
curry favor with movie stars are not exactly award winning stuff. Scams
therefore suddenly find life around the awards season.
Fooling the Client
Random viewing of commercials and ads in recent times leaves
most people perplexed. Even basic comprehension can sometimes be an issue. In a majority of the work released, the
“consumers’ voice” is clearly not heard and the “consumer insight” is therefore
conspicuous by its absence. The work therefore, has body and craft, but no
soul. It would not provoke the consumer to move even a muscle. It is something
that alienates clients and results in scam entries at awards. With the economy
sliding into stagflation, advertising spends have begun to diminish. Patience
with the Agency’s non-performance at the market place would probably have worn
thin. Celebrity endorsements have been fatalities in many brand plans. Plagiarism
for many clients is tantamount to counterfeiting and faking of intellectual
property ownership. Releasing of brand communication without due approval would
mean violation of copyright and the contract itself. Quod erat demonstrandum,
agencies
putting priority to awards over market share, and indulging in scams and
plagiarism, may soon discover that an irate Client has put paid to the
relationship.
False Favors
Given their self- absorbed life styles, one would be
forgiven for claiming that Corporate Social Responsibility is something that is
preached, but never practiced by agencies and people who populate them. However
it has been a happy hunting ground for most creative agencies. Many sneer that
these campaigns are akin to the devil quoting the scriptures. But the scriptures have somehow been used
well enough to win awards in this category. It is, however, a big question mark
whether the target audience ever saw this campaign and if it was given
sufficient media weights to cross the threshold level. A tea brand recently did
a highly rated campaign for encouraging people to vote. The voting percentage
however dropped drastically in the following elections in Mumbai, the capital
of Indian advertising.
There is also lax follow up when it comes to these causes.
Adoption campaigns have been created, but not a single soul has continued with
the effort to see where this issue has progressed to. Gender discrimination and
domestic violence have been cause célèbre in the advertising world, but people
accused of sexual harassment still find favor and patronage in these circles.
It is as if even charitable causes are being plundered for personal glory.
Finally, the way
Forward
It is clear that lust for awards without the consumer
connect would only lead to a rape of the brand. Something that is clearly
unwanted in India. To free itself from the shackles of the ills plaguing it,
the Indian advertising fraternity needs to move towards genuine passion for “the
work” and nothing but “the work”. Then
would come the greater glory and the
good.
God be with us.
ENDS.( 1040 words)
VINOD NATESAN
Mayan Consultants
International.
QUICK PROFILE:
Mr.
Vinod Natesan, runs a boutique brand and marketing consultancy Mayan Consultants International, In the 21
years in the industry, he has been associated with agencies like JWT, Lowe
Lintas, Leo Burnett, McCann Erickson and has been responsible to clients such
as UniLever, Procter &Gamble, Kelloggs, De Beers, Merrill Lynch, Diageo,
Samsung, Bayer, Reliance,Tata ,Mahindra and HDFC. Awards and recognitions
include a Clio (bronze), an Effie and numerous nominations at the London, and
New York Festivals. He has had international exposure having done stints in
East Africa (Nairobi) and the Middle East. The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the
UAE was ranked by the Oxford Business Group as one of the fastest rising FDI
destinations in the region during his tenure as the Head of Operations at the
RAK Investment Authority in 2006.He has also been a visiting faculty in most of
the management institutes in Mumbai University since
1996.
ENDS…
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