By Sanjeev Kotnala
Last week was involuntarily hectic with a trip out to Mahabaleshwar with family and Milo Kotnala, my lovely pet. I enjoyed the lack of connectivity at Forest County Resorts, a pet-friendly hotels. Even with limited connectivity, it was clear that everyone on thesocial media was trying to hit a chawka on every mauka. It seemed that getting trolled is becoming a passionate hobby for few and a legitimate communication strategy for some brands. How can one explain this repeated insensitivity and lack of touch with audience reality?
It was maha confusing for me. Despite my angst against some of the advertising and events, I fear that we are suffocating brand communication and creativity as a very touchy audience. Where do you draw the line if the brands need to be sensitive to the polarised audience? In a few instances, I have raised my voice, questioning the creative. No, it is not a time of remorse or guilt trip. It is different.
Towards the end of the week, we finally lost to Pakistan in our first match of the T20 World cup. We lost unexpectedly and badly to the arch rival. Maybe Mauka–Mauka will eventually be retired. However, I would expect the channel to pull a rabbit out of the hat. A new woke Mauka may be there in case Indian, and Pakistan meet in the final. Possibilities exist.
And then the kneeling of the team in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) took everyone by surprise. Why? It seems it was a directive from ICC/BCCI. But why? I have never seen the same bunch kneel or speak out against the religious racism in the country and across the border.
Everyone was so upset that they forgot the games the team had won in the past. Again demonstrating passionate following has its price, and we have a short memory. It also said that the spectre of Pakistan will never get wiped out.
Virat showed sportsmanship in loss, and the picture found support from intellectually oriented people. However, most did not like the emotion or the expression. Everyone has their reason. We just had a bad day in the field, and hopefully, by Sunday, we will see a turnaround.
The loss hurts, the trolling hurt patriotic feelings. However, no one should be trolled for such failure. No one can win all the time.
Fem Bleach tried to cash on a new mauka called Karwa Chauth. It got a mixed reaction to its same-sex couple Karwa Chauth. It was not well-made but was branded a progressive approach in a not-so-progressive product category. It seemed such communications were made to fuel controversy and get the brand some hype and buzz. Every publicity counts. In the past too, Fem had Karwa Chauth ads, but that was in complete sync with the public opinion. A simple SMEAR check and evaluation of the script would have said it is going to be trolled.
I missed out on watching the T20 debacle, thanks to Karva Chauth. While India was losing the match, I was with my wife on a long drive. So, she is aptly distracted during the last few hours of her waterless fast before moonrise. No, I am not suggesting the script for a Karwa Chauth ad.
Fab India joined the list of brands trolled this year. The urdunisation of the Hindu festival did not sit well with the audience. The audience is widely divided and polarised on this subject. I do not find anything wrong. Oh, yes, it could have been more celebratory. But, should that not be something the brand should decide. The brand must have some creative freedom.
Frankly, I do not want advertising to find rituals in other religions and suggest something they have done with Hindu festivals and rituals. I want them to stop playing with Hindu festivals. However, I would love to watch brands mining rituals across religions to prove that they have not picked on Hindu religion and festivals because they are easy targets. They are so divided that they cannot retaliate. Brands know it will be playing with fire if they try such stunts and purpose-led creative suggestions on other religions.
Case in point, Ceat’s advertisement featuring Aamir Khan- but that was the week before. And well, we have almost forgotten the Tanishq ad of Goad Bharai or the advertisement of Manyavar how the brands are not sensitive to audience reality of the largest audience segment.
Everything is not doomed. There was a positive feeling too.
I applaud Mondelez’s efforts. The favourite chocolate brand took advertising to the next level, serving a different level of mauka to local businesses, presenting them an opportunity to get a brand endorser like SRK! The approach is exciting and worth all the effort. It rightly garnered a lot of earned media, and the buzz was Megha. The smile on local business owners:- priceless.
It is time for brands to cautiously tread on purpose if it is around religious and community sentiments. The purpose should be inherent, not forced.
Meanwhile, there seems to be no complaint at ASCI against Fogg for misleading communication that could be leading to complacency in people approach to Covid. Is it the truth? Does it have government approval to make such a statement? Is the brand right in suggesting that Hathi Nikal Gaya – Poonch Bakki hai! Now, don’t tell me that I am unnecessarily raising a non-issue and encouraging someone to take it up.
The festive season is on.
Keep your eyes open and your fingers free to play the social media game
There will be two-three more opportunities for every one of us to question the advertising and marketing fraternity decisions and brand communication. Well, they could always pre-check their communication for SMEAR.
As I said earlier, I don’t know where to draw the line on freedom of creative expression and brand communication. The brands take a strategic conscious-eyed decision based on research, deliberations and strategic insights. And they have every right to do what they do, including taking pot-shots at the majority- their biggest audience.
Freedom of expression works both ways. The audience has the right to react the way they want to. Sometimes these incited emotions can be dangerous. In a democratically secular country, where the minority defines the majority, no one knows Unth Kis Karvat Daihega.
It will be a wild west between brands and polarised skewed audiences, where everyone must stand for themselves. The tectonic plates of hurt emotions have been under pressure for a long. I suspect some brand communication may trigger an earthquake of reaction- we all would want to avoid.
Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior brand consultant and educatior. He writes on MxMIndia every Wednesday. His views here are personal