Culturally yours

The basic purpose of advertising is to capture the attention of the target audience and convert that attention into action. And the best way to bring about this is to understand the pulse of the audience and delve into their minds. By far commercials that have struck a chord with its target audience have all been ones that are closest to their cultural sensibilities.

This is true especially with respect to the Indian scenario. This fact is evident right from the times commercials have been made. Take the case of the ever popular product Maggi which was launched by Nestle in the year 1983. A time when it was impossible for a noodle brand to penetrate into the Indian markets and end up on the dining tables of an ordinary middle class household. Yet the product’s ads managed to create waves in a way like never before. Maggi was positioned as an ideal Indian snack which was a nutritious supplement to the traditional samosas and pakoras. There were a variety of indianised recipes of noodles that the brand popularized through its ads. 

Even international brands like Coca Cola and Pepsi have transformed their ads in order to appeal to the Indian psyche. The advertisers cleverly put in Hinglish sub titles to capture the fancy of its audience. We saw farmers and people living in the rural areas take a sip of Coca Cola when they were tired. The Indian- ness of these ads cannot go unnoticed.

Interestingly even the nature of products that are sold in one market is completely different from that sold in others. A product like Fair and Lovely worked its way into the hearts and minds of the Indian masses through its ads which capitalized on the Indian mentality and their constant desire to be light skinned. The sales of the product are at an ever high in our country.

A close look at the ads of a country or region can speak oodles about the cultural inclinations of its people. They are a perfect reflection of the state of society at any given point of time. Personally, I’ve often felt a deep connect with ads that have their roots in the culture that I am associated with. Similarly there is also a sense of disconnect with respect to the ads that are from a totally alien background. Cheers to the ads that made us believe that noodles were a part of our tradition, and that Coke was a drink of the common man. These advertisements never seem to lose their charm in the eyes of its spectators.

Colgate Black

 

(No Copyright violation intended)

What do you think of the ad? 

The Axe Effect

A sloppy guy, a handful of skimpily clad girls and a deodorant that defies the laws of attraction. Put all of it together and you get the 'conventional' Axe  commercial.

The Axe commercials are unique, carefully 'dirty' and rather explicit in its execution.As a woman, I've often felt all of my senses being subject to torture each time I came across an Axe  ad.

But then again, its target audience seems to think otherwise. Which is why, the ads seem to be getting bolder with every campaign in spite of all the heavy criticism that it's being exposed to. In the Indian context, the Axe  ad campaigns are generally looked upon as ads created in poor taste and are received with frowns and abuse aplenty.

The brand that was born in France in 1983, entered the Indian markets in 1999 to compete with other popular brands like Rexona and Denim. Since then there has been no looking back for Axe. The product does exceedingly well in the market and is Unilever's best selling brand world wide. The brand enjoys a market share of more than 35% in the India. It's constantly growing marketing figures seem to suggest that the Axe commercials, in spite of being at the receiving end of heavy criticism, have managed to successfully communicate its message to its target audience- 'YOUNG 'MEN.

The Axe commercials revolve around the pivotal idea that a guy who uses the product is more than likely to have girls jumping off cliffs and doing other mind- boggling things to get near him. The Axe  campaigns drill in the same idea, repeatedly, in to the minds of the men. Though it comes across as a simple, straight forward thought, the commercials vividly demonstrate how a lanky, unappealing guy manages to have amazingly beautiful girls swooning all over him. This has managed to strike a chord with the male psyche. After watching an Axe  commercial, an average young man would pick up a can the next time he goes shopping, to see what wonders the brand can do for him.

In spite of the growing popularity and acceptance of this brand, I have often noticed that there is an interesting section of men who use the product but shy away from acknowledging the fact that they do. They feel uncomfortable being explicitly associated with the product due to the messages that the brand's ads send out. They resist being perceived as men who are waiting for women to drool over them. This section prefers to quietly use the brand and enjoy its 'benefits' without being upfront about it.

Whatever be the ideology behind using Axe, its customer base only seems to be rapidly growing, and its commercials getting exceedingly bolder. Quite clearly,the brand has pronouncedly made evident The Axe Effect.