Amul Hoardings. Campa Cola Compound Stand off.

What happened at Campa Cola Compound? November 2013

Moving on from the “F” words…Indian Advertising.

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…

Guest Column in MXM India. Moving on from F words..by Vinod Natesan 

 Related links.

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2009/10/plagiarism-imitation-or-mere.html

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2010/12/creative-coincidence-or-plagiarism.html

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2010/10/creative-coincidence-plagiarism.html

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2010/03/coca-cola-road-to-olympics-2008.html 

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2010/01/hari-sadus-in-media.html

http://mayanmuse.blogspot.in/2008/04/in-which-hari-sadu-strikes-back.html

Great Advertising from the sixties and seventies.

Great Advertising from the 60s and 70s.

Long Live Amaron Batteries

Hilarious one from Amaron and it is set in God's Own Country. Ogilvy is the agency.

Amaron Life Saver TVC

Great Advertising: OOH - Billboards

Some great examples of outdoor advertising!
Click Here

Advertising that changed the way people think!

Advertising that changed the way people think.
CLICK HERE

What makes for a great Creative Director

An educative and insightful link, thanks to Prathap Suthan.
What actually makes for a great CD and what ideally should his job entail?
There is actually no need for pony tails and tattoos, tantrums are not always a sine qua non and you need not behave like an academically challenged arsehole, spoilt brat, snobbish sadist, puerile prick and an insecure infant  all rolled into one, to make the grade :)!
A lot of CD's who are successful, are well behaved, good human beings and end up leading great teams which produce work that is highly rated and well regarded.

http://www.thedenveregotist.com/editorial/2009/march/5/rant-what-makes-good-creative-director-part-1-2

COEN BROTHERS ON COAL AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Those of you who enjoy the Coen Brothers style of story telling will love this.

NIKE: Orange is the color of insanity- Vincent Van Gogh

Evian Water Advertisement: "We will rock you"

EVIAN Water ad , set to the track "We will rock you"!!
Recommendation: Piyush Pandey on Brand Equity.  Thanking him for that!!

THE LINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM55ngOgikA

FANTASTIC ADVERTISING: EPURON THE POWER OF WIND

 This ad was recommended by Piyush Pandey on Brand Equity and I managed to locate it. Thank you Piyush, this one is worth saving :) Absolutely fantastic!!



The link from Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IjUkNmUcHc

Great Advertising for Respir Activ- Anti-Snoring Tablets.

ADOPTION AD: PRO BONO WORK BY MAYAN

OPTION B

OPTION C

A close blood relative decided to adopt a child after 7 years of marriage. There were many opinions on the matter, one of which was that children who are adopted have unpleasant histories and do not augur well for their foster parents. This is an attempt to assuage such apprehensions. Yashoda brought up Krishna as her own and she did not do badly from what the scriptures say:).

The inspiration for this ad was a piece in Carnatic Music which goes

 "Enna tavam shaithane yashoda, engum nirai parabhramam, amma enrazhaika." which asks the question, "what penance did Yashoda do, that the Universe call ed her "mother"!!

It is a Krithi By "Papanasam shivan"in Kappi Ragam (Janya Ragam of Kharahara priya),

set to Aadi Thalam.  It is sung by Chinmayi and Baby Nimisha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uZcjuopdmQ

The ad was uploaded first on 13th December 2009 and since then has had to undergo changes since there were issues on historical accuracy given that Lord Krishna was not adopted in the strict sense of the term and it was a case of a switch.The changes that took place are documented above as options.

Meanwhile hotmail has come up with an article on famous adoptions (23rd December 2009) and Sushmita Sen has announced her second adoption! The TOI has also reported changes in the adoption laws.

We will carry all the information on this space . Vinod Natesan as on 29th December2009.

Aap Not Paa: Self ad for Mayan Consultants International

CLICK ON VISUAL TO ENLARGE

Plagiarism, Imitation or Mere Inspiration?

We had  carried this question a week back : How do you promote a destination where there is nothing to promote?
The answer was the Pondicherry Tourism campaign that was shortlisted during a pitch some years back. The team involved  was EICL Chennai and I was the Head of the Unit.

click here to see the full campaign and strategy. 

Leela Kempinski carried an ad that looked very similar in the Mirror on the 21st October 2009.
Even the body copy mentions our campaign titles "far from the madding crowd" and "sounds of silence" which seems to indicate that they did see this on the internet !
I am not sure if this ad with its promise of private moments, is a case of plagiarism, imitation or inspiration! The ad is reproduced below, you be the judge!
If Leela Kempinski wants the real deal and are willing to pay for it, all they have to do is email us at vinod@vinodnatesan.com   Why go in for cheap imitations?

American Tourister-TVC-Surviving Mumbai

Very verite!

FABULOUS ADVERTISING

MAYAN CONSULTANTS - SELF AD

AN ADVERTISEMENT INVITING FREELANCERS TO JOIN US AND FOR CLIENTS TO SIGN US ON. ADVERTISING AGENCIES ARE OF COURSE WELCOME TO USE US AS THE BACK OFFICE TO COVER THEIR BACK SIDES:) PROVIDED THEY PAY FOR WHAT THEY USE.( WE HAVE FREELANCE DEBT COLLECTORS ALSO ON OUR TEAM!)

How to become famous in India: Press Coverage Secrets

An interesting article on how to get the media to carry your product story. The traditional differentiation between Public Relations and Advertising was that while advertising was a non-personal, paid form of endorsing a person, place or product using mass media and Public Relations was a NON -PAID form of non personal endorsement of the person, place or product in mass media. This difference is now redundant and an anachronism it would seem.

click here to read more.

Sir Martin Sorrell on Advertising Trends and India

Afaqs
click here to read more.

Exchange4Media
Click here to read more.