It was meant to provoke a reply that would rest on marketing philosophy, which we got. Without further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the July 11 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. It was World Chocolate Day last Friday and one often wonders why some of the best advertising has been done for products the over-consumption of which is potentially unhealthy. Your view?
A. To comment on a brand category that advocates ‘kuch meetha ho jaaye’ is a task to be bitter about it. Every doctor has a unique opinion about the consumption of chocolates. Someone says it’s good for the heart, someone says it’s good for a burst in the dopamine level while others it’s bad for cholesterol and diabetes. Secondly, there is no conclusive evidence that elasticity of demand and consumption has a perfect ‘corelationship’ with the quantum of advertising. For, alcohol or cigarettes have only surrogacy as the route or discouraging warnings of product consumption, yet, their consumption is still going up. Having said that, I also believe the whole theory of advertising being hidden persuasion amongst consumers for what they don’t want is no longer valid as today’s consumers are much more discerning and question every claim of the marketer. So we need to attribute intelligence to the consumers to take their own call, and am sure they will decide judiciously. Hence advertising as an economic engine for stoking demand for products should not be denounced as a counter to consumer interests. There are many factors that influence consumers decision-making process for consumption otherwise by that logic the rate of failure of new launches and blitzkrieg communication wouldn’t have been a reality.