Whether you are a student of marketing or mass communication, or a lay consumer...it is hard to miss advertisements, or ads as they are popularly called.
The Coke ad above is one of earliest ads ever. It appeared in the United States in the 1890s. Looking at it today, it presents a distinct vintage feel; almost like an old painting. In fact it is a painting as commercial photography was yet to become a part of advertising. The ad itself looks like a novelty. There is no reason for that angelic looking girl to be there really, but maybe someone thought: how does it matter?
Cut to the year 2007 and the most talked about Coke ad in recent times. You must have seen it. No? Here it is:
Advertising is very seductive, almost like films. And we have been looking at ads longer than we have been looking at films. Its inherent glamour and creativity blinds us to its real uses. We tend to think that advertising is a magical tool that will work wonders & do anything, so much so that advertising usually overshadows other elements of the marketing mix.
Here is the famous Coke "Aamir Khan" ad.
TV advertising is very costly. So we can safely assume Coke has already spent crores of rupees on its advertising. And of course, the production values of Coke ads are first rate. The question is, has advertising delivered for Coke in India?
The above chart is from Coke's 2010 annual report.These rankings refer to per capita servings of Coke per country, measured in 8 ounces (0.3 litre). Notice something? India is at the bottom of the rankings, even lower than Mali, Pakistan, Egypt & of course, everyone else.
So what happened to all those wonderful ads produced by Coke. Are they not getting people in India to drink Coke more? Going by the above evidence, seems not.
I guess it is clear that advertising does not impact the real consumption of a product. In fact, it will be terribly difficult to find an example where advertising has led to more or better consumption of a product. But yes, it can & it does create a favourable impression, or if a brand is already known, it can ensure that the brand remains top of mind with consumers.
Watch the latest ad of Colgate Active Salt with Miss Dabangg in it.
It is clear that this ad will never win an award for creativity. But of course, Colgate is such a dominant brand that it really does not need creative ads. It just needs ads. In its case, the logo and the familiar red colour pack are enough to refresh the position that Colgate has created for itself in your mind. Big brands are like that...they have heritage, history, loyalty...or a combination of all behind them. All they need is just a tickle, a gentle nudge. But new brands do need a hand, a big hand at that. Just like Center Shock.
Now this is the ad that created the wonderful recall that Center Shock enjoyed. Unfortunately, Center Shock is no longer in the market but its advertising endures.
Of course, the best combination is when a leading brand produces a great ad. Savour the following Raymond ad.
So I close my post by simply saying that advertising is a fantastic tool for creating or enhancing recall for your brand. But to expect it to increase consumption or sales...that's imagining far too much.
More on advertising in my next post.
The Coke ad above is one of earliest ads ever. It appeared in the United States in the 1890s. Looking at it today, it presents a distinct vintage feel; almost like an old painting. In fact it is a painting as commercial photography was yet to become a part of advertising. The ad itself looks like a novelty. There is no reason for that angelic looking girl to be there really, but maybe someone thought: how does it matter?
Cut to the year 2007 and the most talked about Coke ad in recent times. You must have seen it. No? Here it is:
Advertising is very seductive, almost like films. And we have been looking at ads longer than we have been looking at films. Its inherent glamour and creativity blinds us to its real uses. We tend to think that advertising is a magical tool that will work wonders & do anything, so much so that advertising usually overshadows other elements of the marketing mix.
Here is the famous Coke "Aamir Khan" ad.
TV advertising is very costly. So we can safely assume Coke has already spent crores of rupees on its advertising. And of course, the production values of Coke ads are first rate. The question is, has advertising delivered for Coke in India?
The above chart is from Coke's 2010 annual report.These rankings refer to per capita servings of Coke per country, measured in 8 ounces (0.3 litre). Notice something? India is at the bottom of the rankings, even lower than Mali, Pakistan, Egypt & of course, everyone else.
So what happened to all those wonderful ads produced by Coke. Are they not getting people in India to drink Coke more? Going by the above evidence, seems not.
I guess it is clear that advertising does not impact the real consumption of a product. In fact, it will be terribly difficult to find an example where advertising has led to more or better consumption of a product. But yes, it can & it does create a favourable impression, or if a brand is already known, it can ensure that the brand remains top of mind with consumers.
Watch the latest ad of Colgate Active Salt with Miss Dabangg in it.
It is clear that this ad will never win an award for creativity. But of course, Colgate is such a dominant brand that it really does not need creative ads. It just needs ads. In its case, the logo and the familiar red colour pack are enough to refresh the position that Colgate has created for itself in your mind. Big brands are like that...they have heritage, history, loyalty...or a combination of all behind them. All they need is just a tickle, a gentle nudge. But new brands do need a hand, a big hand at that. Just like Center Shock.
Now this is the ad that created the wonderful recall that Center Shock enjoyed. Unfortunately, Center Shock is no longer in the market but its advertising endures.
Of course, the best combination is when a leading brand produces a great ad. Savour the following Raymond ad.
So I close my post by simply saying that advertising is a fantastic tool for creating or enhancing recall for your brand. But to expect it to increase consumption or sales...that's imagining far too much.
More on advertising in my next post.
