Mapping the youth: O&M's Sprite & Limca do the trick

According to an agencyfaqs-Synovate poll, JWT's Mountain Dew and Grey's Frooti are the least liked TVCs among Sprite-Limca-Mountain Dew-Frooti by young people

They are cool, smart, witty and funky. For them, the sun never sets. They are the quintessential Indian youth. They belong to a transient genre where tastes and opinion change every other day. While 'cool' as a word may be in vogue, the definition changes from one generation to another. Even 'generation' is not a 20-year thing anymore; last heard, it has been reduced to just three years. So, 'cool' runs the risk of being 'un-cool' and 'ughh!' in a matter of months.

Little wonder that when advertisers have to think of reaching out to this enigma called youth, then finding that one moment, that one word, that one feeling that will make an instant connect with them can take a millennium. The age-group - put simply - poses a serious challenge to marketers and agencies.

Take the example of four youth beverage brands - Sprite, Mountain Dew, Frooti and Limca. Each brand seems to represent its own version of the Indian youth. Therefore, we wondered, which of these ads and their respective protagonists, the Indian youth best relates to.

If only post-advert sales figures could tumble out on a request and show us a bright and clear picture. But, corporates zealously guard such secrets.

As an alternative, global market research company Synovate was roped in to conduct a survey among youngsters.

The agencyfaqs-Synovate poll interviewed young people (boys and girls), belonging to SEC A1 and SEC A2 households in the age-group of 16-20 years. The interviews were conducted face-to-face using aided recall in Mumbai and Delhi. The sample size was 103 respondents; Delhi: 53 and Mumbai: 50. The fieldwork period: April 22-24.

Key findings in the survey:

Clearly, as per the findings of the survey, Mountain Dew and Frooti adverts do not appear to be clicking with their TGs. While Grey, Mumbai is the agency for Frooti, JWT's Delhi office has created the Mountain Dew advert. O&M Mumbai is behind both Sprite and Limca TVCs.

Amardeep Singh, associate vice-president (creative), Contract Advertising, provides a reason for this disconnect. "In the real world, youngsters do not behave like the characters in Mountain Dew. Today's youngsters are smart and they hate to do anything stupid. The level of exaggeration is high in this particular advert. It's unrealistic. Perhaps, the agency has taken too much of a liberty with the creative licence. I'm not surprised that the Generation X has got offended with this creative. Sprite, in comparison, offers the simple wisdom that running after girls doesn't always make sense. I think the idea clicked with the TG."

If Sprite and even Limca are more popular than Mountain Dew, that's because, "both Sprite and Limca appeal to the mainstream sentiments of the youth, whereas Mountain Dew connects with a niche segment of the Indian youngsters," reasons Santosh Desai, president, McCann-Erickson.

Another creative director says, "The Frooti ad is also unrealistic. It contains some song'n'dance and some inane repetitions of the word 'bindaas'. The idea, simply, isn't there. And, the protagonists are reduced to being caricatures. Why would today's young people be impressed with an advert like this?"

Pushpinder Singh, national creative director, Ambience Publicis, however, refuses to see too much into the findings of the survey. "The best indicator for whether the adverts are working is how consumers are buying the brands in the market place. I know for sure that both Mountain Dew and Frooti are selling in large numbers."

Singh, as usual, offers sound logic. But isn't actual sales a function of advertising, marketing, on-ground events and flow of merchandise? To link it with only advertising is perhaps not entirely correct.

Rupam Borah, creative director, Leo Burnett, takes a broader view on the subject. "India is a young country. About 25 per cent of the population constitutes the youth. This genre influences consumption of practically every kind of product. An advertising agency typically tries to get insights into the life and aspirations of the youth."

"The problem arises when agency professionals do not meet the youth in person, but rely on research data to come up with hypothesis - which may or may not work. For example, research may show 14-16-year olds are irreverent. But if a creative focuses on untempered irreverence, it may not work at all with the TG. Agencies sometimes do show the tendency of going over the top," he adds.

So has there been a moment, a glimpse that captured the essence of Indian youth, recently? McCann's Desai, after a pause, says, "Among the recent ones, I really cannot think of any. But yes, when that girl in the Cadbury ad breaks into a dance, that youthful abandon is certainly one of the most memorable images of youth."

Desai cites one more example that serves as the closest approximation to the Indian youth - Dil Chahta Hai. "I think the movie sums up what the urban Indian youth is."

Borah, in conclusion, speaks of the dilemma of the agencies. "We think, we know the youth. Do we? Actually? It's just that some of us are honestly trying..." © 2005 agencyfaqs!