There was an discussion on something with couple of friends and then this topic of creative ideas appeared in front of us. Santy was quick to point about one ad which he thinks a very creative idea. On similar track can be used to address a larger audience to convey a message about the product.
I didn’t react to his shout but quickly recalled a conversation about this ad with another friend … Later I asked santy, do we really need such an idea??
I didn’t react to his shout but quickly recalled a conversation about this ad with another friend … Later I asked santy, do we really need such an idea??
It’s not a difficult task for anybody to understand an ad, the sole purpose of it to sell a product and never an idea. They merely influence the real life but some people think they are smart enough to ply the emotional concept of advertising and gain the popularity. Needless mentioning, we hold the craze for celebs way too much ...
You see, now the focus is on something called a ‘Brand and that is known as Idea’ and never on some actual idea. Forget about the welfare of those old children and villages shown in the ads but to advertise the brand on their name. I wonder if they can ever spend a little amount of money to educate the poor children then simply paying it off on an ad, to a star who is already so rich.
Some people are carried away with such ads, what do you think what should be an idea to bring education to poorer and the poorest people? Now shifting the focus from product to people.
12 comments:
I am not sure we need to sell the concept of "education to the poor" ! I do not think its anyone right to demand it either !!!
Having said that, anyone who is educated has a basic social responsibility of sharing and giving back to the society, the place, the system their due by making a difference or being a part of some !
I wish and hope that everyone of us educated people does their part !!! that will take care of a lot of issues that we label as issues on the ground today !!!
and not being educated ( I am not talking about literacy) is one of the important reasons why we have poor people too !
"I wonder if they can ever spend a little amount of money to educate the poor children then simply paying it off on an ad, to a star who is already so rich."
You know, I wonder whether Abhi did the ad for free, or whether they still had to pay him to appear in the ad. It always annoys me when celebrities demand big bucks to appear in ads that promote charity. Beats the whole point of the ad. Kind of like how Angelina Jolie goes around "raising money for charity" while getting paid for making appearances to the charity events. Ugh. And I agree with you, why not just give the money directly to the charity itself. I do think though that those kind of ads are necessary to promote awareness but then who said you needed big celebrities to pass on the message of the ad?
do agree with you Alok, about our big stars and even bigger ads, that, as you said, rightly plays with our emotions..
Educating the poor is everybody's responsibility, if you see a kid on the street, and help her to cross the road, telling her to look at her left and right before crossing the road, that I feel is you imparting your own education in the tiniest way!
The way the big people around us might not change, they will continue 'using' up the concepts of poverty and child labour and torture, and what not, to sell their products....But we can change right.. perhaps we can create a speck of change here and there......
Thankyou for the comments..its been long sicne I came online or posted or read or commented, work has been keepin me busy..but now i hope i am back :D!
TC!
Hey Alok,
Let me start off with two things which are talked about in your article:
1. The Ad:
See the Ad is definitely meant to hit the emotions of the people and I guess that is the correct way to market the product :) No harm in doing it, at the end of the day, what matters is SALES and that is what is the key !!! Imagine a common man like me(or for that matter anyone) being offered the same Ad(the same way), wouldn't we accept...And as Indians are more emotional, only thing that sells in India is EMOTIONS; the same thing may not sell in US since S** sells there more :)
Also,about being a celebrity and doing this adds a glitter to it, for example: The Amitabh Bacchan Ad on Polio, check the results of the Ad here So, these are two sides of the coin.
IMHO, Playing with People's emotions of your SALES is the correct way to market in INDIA :)
2. EDUCATION:
It is the responsibility of each individual here.Just by giving free lectures to poor kids would do the job(that too during the weekends).And this should come out from every person...Nowadays we have CSR's in companies which adds to their branding but also helps to get some people out of their poverty, which is an addon.I would complete with the work b a young lady who has set up rural BPO's and is helping them immensely.Check it here
So,to end m big comment:
Everything is fair considering the fierce competition and we should remember, In India, EMOTIONS still sell more then MALLIKA SHERAWAT !!!!
-Himanshu Sheth.
prashant, your points make sense to me. All of us have a social responsibility to solve any of the problems by being part of the system. We need our own individual as well as combined effort for that ...
On the ptherside people still using the concepts of poverty and child labor etc .. etc ... through ads to promote their brands, after saying that the question remains the same. Why it’s hard to understand that’s a money business and the celebs in the ads are no form of mother Teresa? The idea of extending the helping hands in those ads are lie and the video put up here is just an example and nothing more than that.
vagabond, hey did you watch the ad/video ? the video is just an example of what I was trying to point.
*** You know, I wonder whether Abhi did the ad for free, or whether they still had to pay him to appear in the ad.
ah! that’s looks impossible, ads for brand promotion for free :D
And you are bang on, when said -"ads are necessary to promote awareness but then who said you needed big celebrities to pass on the message of the ad?” that’s the whole point here and I think a simple idea conveying the message can beat a celeb :)
shams, I am glad to see you back to blogville. Welcome back :) and thanks for sharing your thoughts here.
Hey you are bang on to the points here, they will continue 'using' up the concepts of poverty and child labour and what not … to sell their products, … and I think somewhere the actual issue portrayed in the ads is buried.
*** we can change right.. perhaps we can create a speck of change here and there......
Yes! we can and a little effort is what all we want …
Himanshu, that’s quite a bit analysis on Ads and education :) You are very right, people are carried away with two things emotions and s**. And these kind of ads are just another way to sell some products.
But the whole point that I was trying to make out - using these ideas/concepts on issue such as poverty, child labour/education or anything in that line can never be considered as fair enough to play with emotions and promotions. Moreover, these ads don’t address a solution to the problem or contributing anything to resolves one.
*** Imagine a common man like me(or for that matter anyone) being offered the same Ad(the same way), wouldn't we accept...
Ah! that’s something I may not agree completely, haven’t you seen so many unknown face getting popularity by doing ads ;) I believe that a simple idea conveying the message can beat a celeb :) by saying that I am not trying to take the credits from the celebs who are truly engaged in the effort “for a social cause”.
To the points of education, that’s exactly what many of us feel. And hey, thanks for sharing that link, a little effort and working on simple ideas can make a big difference, a perfect example!
Hi Alok,
Thanks for your nice comments on my blog.
Nice postings in your blog, and this one particular posting caught my attention.
Well, I along with a set of friends have started an NGO "Read India Foundation" to serve the poor kids. We concentrate on education, health and infrastructure. If you are interested in contributing in someway, could be with real effort by teaching kids or sharing your ideas, then you could join the group.
website: http://readindiafoundation.org/
Warm Regards,
Netra
This ad was put up on my blog almost the same time it went on air and i was really touched by this ad :)... even today I wish that something like this could happen... But the fact remains, that this is still an AD to promote "IDEA" and not an 'IDEA' to promote Education as such...
However, Hope is not lost...
Though this 'idea' is not implemented in the same fashion as shown in the ad,.. Aditya Birla group is doing a great job since years to make the situation of Rajasthan rural areas a better place for the people living there... Being a BITS Pilani grad(of the Aditya Birla Group,also the owners of IDEA cellular), I myself was involved in a few of these activties, where we went around villages spreading awareness on various issues and I could evidently see the efforts made for medical camps, vocational course ceters and Schools set-up and I think that they have done what they can...
And who has said that we cannot DREAM??? After all.... Whats reality today, was once upon a time-a dream!!! :) :)
Cheers
Netra, I am glad you liked some of the posts :)
thanks for the comment and sure shortly I will in touch with the group.
Diva, thanks for sharing your thoughts here. I know dreams come true and as long as we can dream we continue to live the life we wanted to live.
My point here is never against some individuals or a company (you named it Abishek or Aditya Birla Group). The thing here is about marketing a product using such issues and on the other hand making a money business out of it.
Do I need to see it as another kind of cosmetic ad? or what is the message conveyed through such ads? Say, somebody wants to do something similar and start taking classes in some village then 'IDEA' will pay the telephone bills? If yes, how he can approach them to setup such facilities?
I am agree to the points Sham has mentioned in her comment. And of course we will continue contributing in our small ways :)
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