A G Krishnamurthy: Magic lies in the product

AGKspeak/ For correct messaging, advertising must reflect product performance

What I've liked
I don't quite know if I am imagining it, but of late isn't there an increase in ads which use children to sell their products? Right from cellphones to soft drinks to refrigerators, every other spot on TV has some kid or the other, playing a crucial role.

Either we as a society are suddenly becoming conscious about the next generation or we are succumbing to the super pester power of kids. Yes, it looks like they are emerging as the next 'authority' figure! Charming yet unwavering in their focus, they seem to have more influence in today's household than any other member.

One ad which seems to bring this out quite effectively is a promo for Brooke Bond tea. This promo begins with a slice-of-life incident of a kid waking up his parents in the middle of the night.

I must admit this is a universal phenomenon as this very same pestering habit of kids was once used in a McDonald's ad as well. For a promo ad this works really well as it is memorable and extremely identifiable.

One of the brands which has used pester power quite effectively and for a considerable number of years is Rasna. It was one of the first brands in the country to tap into a child's phenomenal hold on family decisions. And, yes, it has worked quite successfully for the brand all these years.

What I've learned
The power of experience
I have spent close to over three decades in trying to persuade people into changing their points of view, into accepting new ideas and products.

As part of my job, I have always been an avid observer of everything to do with communications. And who can miss all the passion and the excitement that the elections always manage to bring with them?

In the recent past, I've been watching the juggernaut-like power of the ballot as it rolled over from one end of the country to the other silencing extremely vocal media opinion.

The experience in two states illustrates this beautifully "" Gujarat in 2002 and Andhra Pradesh in 2004. The chief minister of the former was vilified and attacked mercilessly by the media, while the latter had a CM who was the media's blue-eyed boy.

He could do no wrong in their eyes and every move of his was accompanied by a standing media ovation. Yet in both cases, the media's opinion was not in the least bit able to influence what people felt and thought.

No volume of column centimeters, no amount of 'visual proof' was able to drown out word-of-mouth. The Gujaratis stood by their man, the Telugus declared "" enough is enough. Because both of them chose to vote by what they saw, heard, experienced and not what was projected in the media.

In both the cases it appears that there was a clear mismatch between what they saw around them, and, what was projected. And of course, this belief seems to have been shared between the voting communities. To me, this makes an interesting case study for any student of communications.

Clearly, people can't be persuaded by reports and opinions which are not reflected around them, but by the dissemination and reinforcement of facts as experienced by them.

A different point of view might entertain and even be the subject of heated debate but if communication, as in advertising, does not mirror the product's actual performance, any kind of messaging will roll away like water off a duck's back. In other words, as Bill Bernbach put it, "the magic is in the product".

Email : agkbrandconsult@yahoo.com