ARTICLE FROM:
NIVEDITA SINGH
IBS HYDERABAD
“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.”
Stephen Butler Leacock, quoted in Michael Jackman, Crown's Book of Political Quotations, 1982, New York: Crown Publishing In.
One major point of concern here however is ‘how long could it be’, especially in this micro-second changing environment. The manner in which advertising has been taking place is an interesting story as it involves so many innovative ideas not only in the creation of it but also in the implementation and delivery mechanism of an advertisement.
The main aim of any advertising is to create “astonish and wonder”. Now to keep self updated so as to fulfill this aim is the major task of these advertising agencies. Be it change from the type of message, kind of media or reach and timing of information transfer, everything has to be necessarily be in relation to the customers and their changing perspectives. This is validated by the fact that it is the customer who has to acknowledge any advertisement and with such varied options available for him, gaining attention becomes highly competitive.
"Advertising is the art and sole of capitalism. It captures a moment of time through the lens of commerce, reflecting and affecting our lives, making us laugh and cry, while simultaneously giving traction to the engine that propels this free market economy forward into the future."
- Jef I. Richards (2001), Chairman of The University of Texas Advertising Department.
To understand what affects the mood of a customer, thus, is a mandate. This is where an advertiser can show his expertise when he needs to break the clutter of varied advertising around and show better means of capturing the customer touch-point. However this does not mean giving the customer exactly the readymade message and idea that he is looking for, it has to be designed and shaped in a way that arises curiosity for the customer. He should himself have the zeal to break in and find the message, only then can an advertisement prove to be effective.
Earlier however things were more directly conveyed; take the instance of the advertisement of the washing powder NIRMA. The ad was made in a way that it conveyed the product features and its benefits, the customer just had the task of recalling it and purchasing the product. In the present era however as the knowledge level of the customers is on a high, they like things being left out to them to understand. This makes them delighted as they feel a worth in discovering things themselves and to the great fact such advertisements are the ones which create more recall capacity and also preference for that matter.
We take the example of an advertisement of a windmill designed by the Square Circle agency for their client Vestas. It is hard for a common man to realize the potential of a windmill which can produce the same kind of power as a hydropower plant does, but to convey such difference and relevance in a short duration advertisement requires great proficiency undoubtedly.
The ad goes as a young boy falling off a boat in the middle of an ocean. He is then shown chancing upon a metal object , which is actually a windmill blade. He hangs on to it and with its aid reaches the shore where he realizes that the metal piece that he held was a windmill blade. It is then that he realizes the huge capacity of a windmill which fascinates him. Now this was not a direct overt conveyance of message yet the curiosity and excitement caused by it was observed to be tremendous as it changed the manner in which people viewed a windmill.
CHANGING SEX ROLES IN INDIAN ADVERTISING
A shampoo ad featuring Bipasha Basu with the sizzling youth John Abraham made the overall ad scene a hot shot to look at. Did this have any relation with the product being advertised? Well strangely NO. Then what could be the reason for hiring such expensive stars to make it for the product. Cinematographed in monochrome with the right shades of darkness and mood lighting, the word 'hot' recurs like a double-edged metaphor in the ad, an adjective that has no direct relationship with the product being advertised.
Apart from the couples promoting any product, we also consider how changes have come in the individual appearances of the genders. Earlier in every sports and atheletics ads only men were found to portray their masculinity and associate the product with it. However with the times changing, now it is no more the similar scenario. For instance in most of the ads today, we find Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador. Women in Indian ads are being presented in less dependent roles than they were before.
An ad for a leading women's fortnightly recently carried a delightful image of an ageing woman in bridal attire. It later transpires that her daughter is getting her married again! This is an example of positive advertising that subtly carries a social message. Many mother-daughter ads in recent times bear out female bonding, in effect, subtly marginalizing the role of men by cutting them out completely from such ads. Yet, women do not still appear in ads for 'solid' products such as steel and cement and even if they do, they are sidetracked within the script.
Conclusively gender roles in Indian advertising continue to change. Taking celebrities as an example, Amitabh Bachchan is advertising for a brand of diamonds, which across the world till this day, is known as a woman's best friend. Bachan's role is a kind of revolution, since even today, every other diamond advertisement on the small screen and the print media exclusively uses women as the main model.
THE CHANGING COUNTENANCE OF RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING
Gone are the days when an advert placed in a national newspaper was assured of guaranteeing a quality response from which to select good candidates. Today there is a need and also opportunity for multiple channels to simultaneously exist. A sensible strategy is said to be only the one which could include all or any of the following:
- print advertising (national, regional, trade),
- job-boards (specialist, generalist),
- business and social networking sites (e.g. Linkedin, Facebook etc),
- targeted sites (client, recruiter) and behavioural targeting (through print or online media).
All of these can be used in different creative formats such as job postings, banners, skyscrapers, MPUs, email sponsorship etc.
As a result today’s most experienced recruiters can drive more effective and focussed campaigns. Poor recruiters will simply find their capability diluted and their effectiveness rapidly decline.
For selecting the right recruitment ad strategy there are certain points to be taken into consideration:
SCALE - The ability to track both the volume and quality of responses to various media can be a source of considerable competitive advantage. A challenging reaction to use an on-line strategy on grounds of cost may or may not be more effective than a national print media or a multi-channel campaign.
BRAND - Advertising in a suitably branded way always maximizes the response. Having a brand that is clearly respected and positioned in the market will attract candidates. Good advice on the strength and use of an employer or recruiter brand is vital.
ENHANCED ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS – The effectiveness of any ad or the medium for that matter comes on a stake as the number of candidates registered and the number of jobs placed on job-boards increases. Quality recruiters hence need to be informed of the latest techniques for highlighting opportunities so that they stand out from the crowd. Furthermore pro-active management of these channels enables flexibility to adjust the campaign in real-time to modify the type of response generated. This can prevent the need for expensive re-advertising.
DESTINATION WEBSITES – As the number of recruiting websites is increasing almost daily, the choice could become bewildering for the candidates. The advertisers who wish to remain distinct quality service providers need to conform to two major and basic principles, which are:
i) Tight Market Positioning – so as to target a specific audience and provide the quality jobs which are not only numerous but also attractive. Here the companies follow a highly focused strategy with high level of confidence.
ii) Candidate Care- In a candidate tight market good ‘care’ is crucial to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship. Evidence of this is the relative importance that sites give their candidate and client population and how interactive recruiters are with their network. Failure to actively engage ones network is to fail a major part of our client base – our potential candidates.
Related Articles:
IS ADVERTISEMENTS ITSELF THE USP?
ADVERTISING & ITS NEGATIVE RECALL
BRANDING Vs ADVERTISING
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