The Hindu Business Line : Dashing debates only add to a lot of heat and noise

Story so far: I get an opportunity to see how a commercial is made using Aish and Oberoi, though the ad budget of my friend's FMCG company stuns me. I wonder if actors and actresses will be able to give an edge to my company's products too, in the areas of pharma and biotech.

Episode 82

Do you think Bollywood can make a difference for business? That was the question on top of my mind last week, which I shared with you. "Yes, Bollywood can make or break business," writes in Rajesh. "When Bollywood can enter Parliament, where they are attempting to make a difference, I am sure they will succeed in business too."

Politics, after all, is a different business, they say. "Business is also the art of deceptiveness and we Indians are crazy about B(K)ollywoods." Rajesh suggests: "Wonder drugs from pharma and biotech industries can bring down their age and revitalise their energy and vigour." This, perhaps, can add mileage for my company's products, is the inference.

"It is very true that people get influenced when they see film stars in advertisements and they start buying the product," writes Kamal Anil Kapadia, CA from Mumbai. "But these film stars do not use the product at all in their normal life." The truth about make-believe, we may say.

Kamal feels that today's people are smarter, and are able to quickly decide what's good and bad. "More than the film stars, it's oral publicity which helps the product to sell." Power of word-of-mouth marketing, which I learn has grown in significance owing to increased use of the Net.

"Dear Swati," writes Thangavelu. "Celebrity endorsements of commercials have limitations. For mass consumption products, you can reach the required targets, at the introduction stage, if star or celebrities endorse it. But subsequently the products have to stand on its own on its price and quality. People still remembers Lalitaji for Surf; she is not a celebrity. The recent success of Power soap, which does not have star-cast commercial, was because of a catch slogan and affordable price factor. Lux always has stars in its commercial, but Hamam does not have that luxury. But Hamam is a household name, while Lux is still a luxury product in the minds of consumers.

"People used to think, whenever a star endorses a product, that the product would be expensive, used only by rich. Hence, star commercials can be used to promote niche products and not for the items consumed daily. Tendulkar in TVS Victor and Shah Rukh in Santro are for targeted consumers and have, therefore, succeeded." Any tips for my company?

"For your company, which is in pharma and biotech, it is absolutely a wastage of money, if the ad is a star commercial. It will be better some doctors endorse the pharma products; and well-known scientists, the biotech ones. If your target is middle class, a common man or woman, use persons of the same background and catch slogans for the commercials; that will hit the bull's eye.

"However, if your products are for the upper middle class and the rich, use stars to promote the product at the initial stages and then utilise the well-known satisfied good customers in subsequent promotions. Then only you can stay in the market. But whatever the product remember always that we Indians are price conscious and now quality conscious too." That saves a lot of money for our commercials.

"Dear Swati, your question has made me remember my college days," says Subramanya Sivam, who graduated in marketing and advertising. "The perception that a celebrity-studded commercial always works is a myth. Amount spent on any commercial would work only if the following are done: The advertiser should first decide on the objective that an advertisement should achieve, be it to introduce the product in the market or to remind the consumers of the product or to retain the consumer loyalty; he should decide on the target audience, whom the advertisement should reach; select the right media and the slotting (for example, in which page of the newspaper or during which time in TV or radio)."

Sivam talks of the AIDA principle — short for `attract the Attention of the target audience, sustain their Interest throughout, develop in them a Desire towards the advertising objective, and the desire should be converted into Action.' More important than the celebrity angle, which can deliver results only if all the stages of the campaign have been successful, the product or service advertised itself should be of a good quality, he says.

"If the item is of good quality, there will be self-propaganda. If the quality is not good and the ad (even though it has Bollywood stars or any other celebrity) makes false claims on the quality, after some initial response, the products will have to enjoy eternal bliss in their shelves only." That's a dreadful scenario.

"Hello Swati, hope you are doing good," reads Priya's mail. "Celebrities endorsing a product is nothing new. I still remember Kapil Dev endorsing `Palmolive ka jawab nahin' in my childhood days. I feel it is an easy way out rather than being creative. Of course it definitely adds glamour to the commercial. Whether the stars really use the soap or whether they drink the soft drinks they endorse, god only knows. In any case viewers should be attracted and kept on hold. And this can be done to a certain extent by the stars. And that's the reason why these kind of ads are churned out. There are cases where stars have not been appealing and the need of the commercial is not achieved."

Priya wraps up with a caution: "Don't just gamble on the mass appeal of the stars, but produce more creative and interesting ads. Only that can sell." That's right, because we can't expect people to obey immediately an actor's command such as, say, "Buy only this!"

"Hi Swati, this is Vishal one among the growing number of fans of yours." How cool! "I really appreciate your narrative skills and your skill of learning so many different things apart from those related to your profession. You learn about agriculture, desalinisation, golf, HR and what not. And moreover, the way you share the same with us is just incredible. Anyway I do not expect you to reply to my mail as I feel u are quiet busy with so many tasks up ur sleeves but it would be a great gesture from u if u reply to my mail. My email address is vishal_a_2000@yahoo.com. Regards Vishal."

That makes me feel like a celebrity, for a change!

"Dear Ms Swati," writes Anubrata Gangoly. "Bollywood can make a difference to your business. In fact any celebrity can! However, one has to use it the right way. You can call a celebrity for a few hours, take a lot of photos and publish them in the press making a statement that he/she is your `Brand Ambassador' — a new term, indeed. But that will never help." Oh, I thought Gangoly was making it as easy as driving an Ambassador.

"Remember a time when you looked at Palmolive shaving cream and immediately thought of Kapil Dev and `Palmolive ka jawab nahin'? That is true brand ambassador. Lalitaji and Surf, the Liril girl — these have made differences to business; and of late, Shah Rukh. What I am trying to say is that brand is a very revered word. It is a feeling that is created over years of faith in that product and association with a character that you like. So Bollywood can do wonders if used in real brand building and not in everyday advertising." Kapil, Lalitaji and Shah Rukh should be happy to have so many fans.

To conclude, here is a belated mail from Prosenjit Das Gupta on what the Budget should consider: Two points, he writes.

"One is the inadequate build-up of economic and social infrastructure in the country, which is seriously hampering growth; and second, the cause of it, that is, public consumption outstripping public saving and, in fact, eating into private savings as well."

Das Gupta's prescription: Recast and rationalise all subsidies, reduce government's overheads and staff costs, and increase the tax base for direct and indirect taxes. "Instead of `schemes and projects' approach, the Government should adopt an integrated systems approach to achieve the targeted objectives."

********

This is something that happened a couple of days ago, when I was commuting to the office. All of a sudden, there was a hold-up in traffic, and it took a few minutes for me to realise that a minor accident had happened a few feet ahead, involving two cars and a bike.

Apparently, a cyclist had abruptly crossed the path of an Omni van coming in the opposite direction causing it to brake, but the bike following it could not stop before hitting the fender and swerving away; and another car, a Fiat coming to a halt only after hitting the Omni's bumper and ending with a broken windshield.

Even as the bike rider was tending to his bruises and taking stock of the damage to his vehicle, men from the two cars were heatedly debating who was wrong. They seemed to be unmindful of the inconvenience they were causing to other commuters by blocking the roads with their cars.

Too common a sight on city roads, but I thought one can take up these small damages with the insurance company, rather than debating to fix blame then and there. Are we really mentally equipped enough to handle such mini-collisions? Send in your thoughts by Friday.

Swati_CA@hotmail.com

For archived episodes of this column click on:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/nic/swati/index.htm

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
A compact study of a hundred CA exams

For women, 65th birthday calls for a bigger bash

Dashing debates only add to a lot of heat and noise

Sticklish Issues

72 tips to make Six Sigma provide real-time savings

You can't empathise with hunger unless you go hungry

Manmohan's team