Once upon an ancient time, we lived in a one-dimensional world. It was pretty nice and simple with pretty straight (jacketed) ideas. For example: a). our parents, government policies, and teachers were ‘always’ right, b). marriages were made in heaven and c). there was one god, one nation, one government, one political party (that we knew of at least!), one television channel, one car, one scooter, and well- there was simply nothing else to it! But then one day somebody broke down a wall, and changed everything forever.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was not just a major turning point in the history of Europe. It was also a step that marked the opening up of the rest of the world. And together with the onslaught of the World Wide Web and satellite television channel viewing, this step marked the end of the ancient one-dimensional world forever. And from its ashes emerged a world of liberalisation and free-market economy. So, whereas the fall of Constantinople may have marked the beginning of the renaissance in medieval Europe, it was the fall of the Berlin Wall that marked the re-awakening of mankind into a radically virtual world.

What followed next was an era of growth and opportunities. The internet and satellite television brought in the opportunities and then businesses grew, economies grew, politics grew, and ‘man’ grew. And as this series of growth continued, another part of the world that grew, as it backed all this growth was the world of media, which now became this all important entity, carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders.

That brings us to the present day world. In today’s world media needs to be on its toes 24×7. As if it even begins to stagnate then at least some portion of the world as we know it will come crumbling down. Important news not reported on time, for instance, can mean wrong economic decisions being taken, wrong political opinions being formed, wrong tourist destinations being visited, wrong market economies being promoted. A press conference not covered properly can mean the end of a truly brilliant company. A social cause not given its due attention can mean that thousands of families living below poverty line will not be heard by the right set of ears. And the list can be a never ending one! This makes the responsibility of media truly immense.

The media industry of today, however, is really not the saint that the facts stated till now might suggest it to be. In fact, the above mentioned facts are just one side of the story, for there is another, more important reason why media or channels of media to be more specific need to be ‘Live-24×7’. And they will soon make the reader realize how far from being a saint the media of today really is. Media of today is an industry in itself and so is not free from the kind of competitive wars that must be fought between the players of other industries. So, even behind this ‘fight’ to save society from falling apart, there is hidden a fight being fought by every individual player within the media industry. This is the fight that every individual T.V channel, or radio channel, or newspaper, or magazine etc. must fight if they want to save the first place for themselves. The struggle is to attain the highest TRPs and the highly lucrative advertisements that keep them up and running. And unfortunately, the now ‘self declared’ saviours of society will go to any length to get those ads. and those TRPs for themselves. In fact, they now resort to all sorts of media gimmicks and tactics to get the viewers to stay glued to their channels. They will twist news, sensationalize news and events, invent facts, and highlight utterly nonsensical issues solely to build on the entertainment factor and the saleability of their channel. One of the biggest examples of how unscrupulously media can be in its quest to stay on top and the latest addition to their assembly of TRP winning gizmos and gadgets is the ‘24×7 reality T.V shows’ trend. In these the celebs are made to, or rather encouraged to fight like freaks, abuse and do anything and everything that is twisted and might keeps the audience viewing. Media houses pay enormous amounts to small or big celebrities to be part of these shows, and we can be pretty certain that with time they will come up with many more such publicity stunts.

Evidently media has moved into a realm of desperation. And the fight for survival has even turned into an ugly media war from time to time. The weapons may be new age sophisticated ones, backed by pages and pages of data of market based research. But the struggle is still an age old one. And as bleak and dreary as it may seem- ultimately, only the fittest shall survive.

We’re a country of reel lovers. Maybe not so much of ‘real’ lovers but definitely ‘reel’ lovers. We’re dramatic in our weddings, over dramatic in our family lives and extremely emphatic when it comes to our emotions. Almost every corner of our country has a love affair with the ‘Bada Parda’ and thousands prong Mumbai each day just hoping to be part of the madness in some way or the other. And it is in the context of this film loving reel loving audience that I write this article because let’s face it…I’m a live and kicking part of it!

Having made a characteristically emphatic generalization of our vibrant country, here I get to the reason for this article- our love for storytelling. We are a country of story tellers- we grew up listening to grandfather stories and asking for one more bed time story and so that is a part of us that still exists albeit in a tiny little corner in our hearts, we don’t show it but it’s there. It is precisely for this reason that everything from our films to our soaps depict stories and characters that are larger than life, heavily loaded on sentiment and very ‘reel’. So much so if you look deeply, even our advertising.

Cut to the favourite advertisement of the 90’s- Hamara Bajaj. I still remember the amount of pride that we felt when that song played on TV…there would be very few who didn’t hum along when the ad lit up our televisions. The ad spoke about the average Indian family and in that process spoke to the average Indian family. Here was a company that had hit a jackpot. They were able to crack the code about what could work in a market that was not yet westernized, still had a strong family value background and which still believed in middle class ideals. What worked in the ad was its EMOTION. Every person who watched the ad would feel a slight tug at his or her heart and going a little deeper, would think, “Maybe I will be a little more patriotic if I ride a Bajaj.” And there the makers had hit gold.

What this showed is that we as an audience are actually very ‘reel’. We still have our ideas of right and wrong very strongly carved in our minds and we still care. We are a people who love mush and make no two bones to show it. Ideally we are a sentimental bunch. And that’s why when advertisements tug an emotional cord, more often than not, they have struck gold.

Scene two however, we cut to one of the most popular ad of the post 2000 era- the new age of sorts. There are those cult ads like the one with the fisherman trying to catch fish with Feviquick. Or more recently the very famous ‘Hari Sadu’ ads. And many many more. What this signified was a not so sudden shift in the sentiments of the Indian audience. No more were they looking at ads that glorified their family values and ideals- they symbolized a generation that wanted to laugh and maybe, a generation that had learnt to laugh at themselves. If one looks at the recent trend in ads this aspect is showcased a lot more evidently. The recent Maruti campaign looks at the ‘mileage’ obsession of the average Indian with a funny twist. A double whammy of sorts- it takes into consideration the emotional, sentimental value driven aspect of the Indian audience but puts a joke around it. Not suggesting that they are making fun of the audience, a company like Maruti is able to do that- make us laugh at ourselves. And we are. What this symbolizes is a growing audience that is more mature and can look at themselves objectively, without having to be serious all the time, and still be taken seriously. It symbolizes the modern Indian audience.

But here I would have to mention- does this mean that we have reached the end of emotional advertising? Do those ads that make you smile and tug at a small little sentimental corner of your heart not work anymore? Is it truly the age of the loud mouthed standup comedian and has emotion died??Nahhhhhhhhhhhh!! Far from it, this has not happened and it never can. Under my breath, I am tempted to say, thankfully so!

For every ad that makes us roll on the ground with laughter, there is one that makes us go awww. For every ad that makes us giggle, there is one that makes us smile. And that is the power of advertising- which is constantly innovating, constantly building on what exists- but never letting go of what has been already. And more importantly that is the Indian public- emotional yet humorous, sentimental yet light hearted, ‘reel’ but yet in some way deep down…very very real.

When we think of advertising today, we think “Brands”, we think hoardings of scantily dressed sensuous women. Some of us even think of a bunch of people jumping up and down- making a fuss over a small little bar of soap. But is that all that advertising is about? If not, then what is it really? What does make advertising tick? What keeps it going?

By definition, advertising is a paid, non-personal, persuasive means of communicating messages or delivering information to the audience, and an integral part of Marketing. But this definitive definition doesn’t really answer our questions as we still don’t know ‘why’ it works! So, let’s try unravelling the mystery of what makes advertising work. To begin with let us start from the beginning:

• The need is an age old one. Ancient Egyptians made sales messages and wall posters out of papyrus. Commercial messages and political campaigns were displayed in ancient cities of Pompeii and Arabia. Even the wall paintings of ancient India dating back to 4000 B.C are now considered to be some form of advertising. But there were no brands there, and no advertising agencies, no billboards and no T.V channels. Then why did people advertise, for whom, and what for? Answering this is both simple and complicated. For though there was no organised form of advertising happening there, and there was no advertising industry etc. yet advertising had become a very relevant part of mans’ life long before he realised it. The need arose as, with settlement and evolution of civilizations there grew a need for guilds and villages of artist and craftsmen etc., to simply create a unique identity for their work. So it is fairly safe to conclude that advertising arose out of a need for a product or a service to own an identity.

• However, with time, the sole aim for advertising could not be just the creation of an identity. Also, as Europe, followed by Britain, was engulfed by the Renaissance and knowledge engulfed mankind, different ideologies began to spring up. Philosophies of ‘symbolism’, ‘existentialism’ etc. created a new wave of thinking and man became more self aware. Individualism crept in and the ‘self’ became the centre of one’s Universe. The new wave of thought affected all aspects of life- and the still maturing field of advertising was no exception. So, as and when more and more players became part of the market, it became a necessity for producers and manufacturers of goods and services not just to have an identity, but to have an identity that set a player apart from the other players. Thus, the market became a war zone for the various competitors and advertising became their weapon.

• Later still, as the world market economy evolved with the onslaught of the mechanization following the industrial revolution, advertising slowly grew to the stature of an industry and thereby became an integral part or the marketing strategy of organizations the world over. The television only reinforced its growing importance as the customer was completely overtaken by the whole phenomenon of advertising. Little stories that sang songs of these (apparently) wonderful products ‘just for them’, etc. were appealing to them for a long time. Ergo, the world of advertising continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Till this time the focus was still on ‘selling’!

• Then things changed. The consumer smartened up. You could no lo0nger sell anything to the customer as he realised the difference between publicity and propaganda. Also, he became aware of his importance in the whole game. He realised that everything was indeed about him! Consequently the industry had to grow accordingly. The focus shifted from ‘selling’ to persuading. Words like ‘target audience’, ‘advertising strategy’, ‘positioning’ slowly crept into the vocabulary of the advertisers and the advertising agencies. T.V channels helped advertising agencies woo and persuade their audience still, but he focus shifted from ‘selling’ to building awareness and persuading the customer into recognizing and even desiring their products. Research agencies conducted sophisticated researches and market analysis etc. to work out the details of what the audience needs and wants- in short, the ABC of what would make a saleable product for particular target groups. Consequently the advertising, as part of the marketing communication industry had had to evolve into a rather sophisticated business. Advertising agencies became even more important to the advertisers/industry. Hence both promoted each other as advertisements continued to work even as the mechanics behind them evolved.

• Today, as a result, advertising has evolved to the level of becoming a science. This it has done by involving in its fold aspects of ‘Brand Image’ formation, ‘Brand Loyalty’ etc. now it’s no longer just about brand differentiation or competing for a market space. Now the competition is for the ‘Mind Space’ of the target audience. The ‘top-of-the-mind-recall’ is what every FMCG, durables, services company wants. The fight is no longer for profitability, but for customer retention, customer loyalty.

Through all these evolutions, however, one thing that has remained constant is the need to please the customer. And if nothing else, then perhaps this will be the one force that will keep the advertising world up and running for as long as this world can learn to evolve according to customer demands. Perhaps that is the reason why advertising is crossing barriers for the sake of evolution once again. For as the new age customer changes his lifestyle according to the technological developments of the time, advertising too has entered into the realm of ‘New Age Media’ and ‘Digital Marketing’, never leaving sight of what catches his customers’ eye. Perhaps this is also an indication of the road that lies ahead… at least so far as ‘advertising’ is concerned!

Life in the media world is full of turmoil. I speak not just for those pursuing media studies but all those who are working in the media industry and, are thereby learning facts from fiction about the media world on a first hand basis as well. So the first thing you need to keep in mind when attempting to solve a problem in this industry is that no amount of theoretical knowledge can ever come close to what one can learn through hands on experiences, at least as far as the fast evolving world of media is concerned.

That said,if you find yourself trying to find your way out of a difficult situation (and there will be numerous such situations), think of how and why you got there in the first place. Work backwards thinking of all that was done to reach the point. Soon you will reach the root cause of it all. And working at the root of the problem will make you realise how easy it can be to uncomplicate a complicated situation. It’s quite simple really, once you get the hang of it. It is almost like a solution sitting right in front of you- only you were too busy to notice. You were trying too hard to ‘solve’ the problem without even thinking of the reason why the problem came to exist in the first place.

Another ‘to do’ at this point would be to make a mental note of this for future reference. Thinking of alternative solutions to the problem is also suggested as it teaches your brain to think laterally.
Having done this you will also come to realise that you can be unaware of your own limitations. Think of it like this. You made a mistake once, but were able to undo it when realisation set in. But don’t you think it would have been much better if the realisation had come before the mistake was made? The answer is a simple yes! Could the realisation have come before the making of the mistake? The answer to this may not be too obvious, but in most situations it is a yes. ‘How?’ you may ask! My experience tells me- this can be done simply by involving more people in your endeavour. That way you have more people working together to obtain a common objective. Thereby the probability of success is substantially high and that of failure is relatively low. And that is the real beauty of team work!!

Another common problem faced by many is that of the stagnation of ideas and consequential low quality work output. Working in teams has its added advantages there as well. For instance, when the work begins to get to you, you will begin to realise that coping with difficult situations becomes easier when your team shares responsibility with you. Also, you begin to set higher standards for yourself as suddenly you find yourself answerable to, and competing with, your team members. This even enables you to avoid some of the risks you may have been daring enough to take had you been working alone. And it encourages you to take up challenges you would’ve never thought of taking up alone. Also you get to learn not only from your personal experiences but also from the combined experiences of your team. For it is only when you work with others that you begin to realise and accept your limitations and the capabilities of those around. You learn to recognize and respect talent when you see it. All this helps you grow and evolve as a professional and as an individual, for nothing can be a more humbling than learning to take the criticism of one’s own colleagues.

However, please take note. I am well aware that not everyone will share your dedication and passion. Also, you must realise that having entered a world renowned as the one that unveils the truth, you must learn to see that which is invisible to the naked eye, read between the lines and figure out hidden motives and agendas. This is a must both as an individual and a media professional. Beware but do not try to stay far away from it all, as that is not possible in a field which requires you to see it all, know it all, in order to show it all. Neither should you become a part of it, nor should you become too sceptical because of it. There are a good many respectable and talented people in this field. Be on the lookout for them, people whom you can trust. Never lose out on the opportunity of working with them. For in my opinion, two dedicated heads are definitely better than one! So work in teams as much as possible. But at the same time learn to work with those you do not trust, for, in this world, dear friend, you need to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!

Lastly, I give my last, but most valuable anecdote to countering the most impossible of situations. When you err, laugh at yourself and don’t take yourself too seriously. And whatever the challenge may be, face it with a smile! Wearing a smile might not be the magic-spell that can make all your troubles go away, but it certainly will help you keep your calm and stay focused- the two pre-requisites for problem-solving. Besides, so long as you maintain your calm you can at least be sure of not messing up the situation any further if nothing else. Therefore, dear reader, stay positive, stay calm. Learn to smile often so long as you smile sensibly. And trust me, soon you will realise that your journey in the world of media will become a pleasurable experience!

It’s a regular Sunday morning. You switch on your television hoping to catch something entertaining and after a while you probably do. But then just when you’re enjoying your favourite show an ad stares at you from the screen. A woman, dressed provocatively stares back at you from the screen and for a few minutes you’re wondering what she could possibly be selling. You wait anxiously for the product and bam… she’s selling you a mouse! Yeah you heard that right… seems probable right…oh yes it does!
Advertising today is big…and the number of players in the market make it tougher to compete each day. Everywhere you go there are pictures, hoardings and images staring back at you trying to convince you to buy a new product or to change something about yourself that would turn you into an instant hit. With so much happening around you, advertisers are always on the prowl…hunting for that perfect idea that will make them stand out in the crowd. The result of this is an aggressive form of advertising that pulls no stops in order to get ahead, sometimes a bit too far.
The need for socially responsible advertising is evident in a modern consumerist scenario where everything is available to everyone. At the click of a button, information crosses boundaries and in an instant ideas and opinions influence cultures. In such an information age, it is as important as ever to engage in a form of selling that is persuasive yet subtle, strong yet ethical. There are so many advertisements that come on television or even newspapers today that would require one to run for cover and if there was a curious kid in the room, well then it would lead to some tough question and answer sessions.
Ours is a culture that has respected and venerated women since ages, yet today some advertisements commodify women to an extent that is unacceptable. Treating women as objects to enhance the ‘visual appeal’ of an ad in a manner that is far from aesthetic is something that we see quite too often in advertisements today. These ads rely on the shock value that they provide and hence ‘sell’ but to what end? Apart from this a lot of ads also rely on sending out stereotypical messages that type cast women into a certain bracket, something that in today’s day and age is far from acceptable. To think that an advertisement for toothpaste would require a skimpily dressed woman is far from justifiable more than that it borders on downright silly.
However for every advertisement that ignores aspects of decency and aestheticism, there are ones which leave the viewer with a sense of respect and awe. Though such advertisements are not very common on television today it can be safely said that these are the ones that leave a lasting impact on consumer minds. They are the ones that inspire us to turn into advertisers and to someday create magic. Advertisements like the old Cadbury’s and more recently the Airtel Power of one series literally give you goose bumps. They can almost be considered art in a way as in the modern world; advertisements are more than just that, they are a means of communication. They send out a message and they influence minds in a way. These are the kind of ads that stay in our minds and bring a song to our lips whenever we think of them. The jingles associated with them will never die, they live on as a beacon to our generation and to a time when life was simpler and put simply…better.
In recent times, there have been a wave of advertisements that send out social messages such as the Bell Bajao campaign, Save the Tiger’s campaign and the very famous Tata Tea Jaago Re campaign. While the first one was a government initiative, the latter two are worth mentioning as they dealt with regular commercial products and companies that were taking a stand and promoting an idea. By showing their concern towards the problem tiger extinction and the need to vote, respectively, these campaigns showed that all organizations are not looking solely at making their pockets fatter. While one could call this a very good PR stunt, what is important is that they were successful at doing two things at a time- making a very large impact as far as their products were considered as well as sending out a message- that they really care. Such advertisements reinforce the idea that good advertising is aesthetic, simple yet strong and convincing. They show that in the long run the products or campaigns that stay on in the minds of people are those which make them feel real, feel responsible and feel empowered.
While the issue of social advertising is one that can be debated- on the grounds of what works in the short run versus what works in the long term, there is a need to understand that advertising as a means of social communication is big and is only growing. In such a situation it is only logical to realize the benefits of considering your audience to be an intelligent one. Once that is understood, well then the battle has just begun.