One of the many things about advertising that has intrigued me over the years has been the evolution from a `let's pretend everything is perfect' world to one that is real, warts and all. This change to reality is yet to come to India in any substantial way, although it is very much a reality in international advertising, particularly in the US, UK and Europe. For example, we still have the ever-smiling, beautifully groomed, elegantly attired, long suffering wife, mother, or daughter-in-law, playing the role to a nauseating ideal. Others in the cast are similarly typecast. Iremember, way back in the mid '60s, we had to strip the model of her jewellery and makeup before she was ready to star with her `son' in a Hamam soap cinema commercial. While many changes have occurred it sometimes seems as though the lesson of introducing the reality credibility factor is yet to be fully learned. Yes, today we do have some more down-to-earth characterisation. Many of these, however, tend to verge on the grotesque or the ridiculous. Shades of advertising for MTV and its clones, spreading to several other otherwise `straight' genres of advertising! An additional step away from reality is the almost obsessive and certainly excessive use of celebrities in advertising a wide range of goods and services. The TV ad spoof of an English daily on the many ``roles'' played by Sachin T, in his avatar as `most popular spokesperson', is a telling commentary on this practice. Perhaps now, with the cricket debacle, some rethink on this mindless follow-the-lemmings trend may change things. Perhaps now, as television gets closer to people with the emergence of regional networks of worth, creative people will realise the urgency of getting real to reach out and touch people in their homes and through their hearts. Perhaps now, as the need for establishing relationship bonds of an enduring nature increases, agency planners will commission advertising that `speaks' to people in their `language'. Many of us at the receiving end of advertising must have noticed that the same actors, actresses and child stars appear in so very many ads-adding little to the credibility of the commercial. Often one forgets the brand but remembers either the celebrity endorsing the product, acting in the ad or the all-too-familiar face that appears in ad after ad. Surely, it is now time for agencies to tap into the widening pool of emerging talent to create what I call the little gems of creative excellence that ads must be. Specially those masterpieces of persuasive sitcom ads that can range from being funny (not slapstick or grotesque), warm, emotional, happy, kind, to slightly serious, touchingly sentimental, etc., etc. The list of feelings is endless. The opportunities now available to use great acting talent, great casting options and great technical competence make it possible to achieve the best. The recent series of TV spots for, of all things, Castrol lubes and grease are spectacular examples of using little stories, spoofs as they are, to create good feelings for an otherwise unsexy category. Other appealing sitcom ads are some of the Raymond spots, a few for Titan watches, and.! The key to success seems to be the ability to really understand what the brand should mean to the user . what feelings it should arouse . what benefits it provides. From out of this mix of attributes will emerge the relationship between brand and user, a relationship on which a brand's enduring success depends. For we must always remember that we - you and I and all the rest - do not buy products, we buy values.
