Dealing with the ‘Gabbars’ of advertising in 2006

It’s not just Pappu’s papa who’s decided to quit smoking this year. The who’s who of the Indian ad world has made their New Year resolutions, too.

“No more chasing propositions, it’s time to have better positioning concepts in place!” swears Prasoon Joshi, regional creative director, South and South East Asia, McCann-Erickson.

Joshi explains, “Products are becoming increasingly homogenous. There really isn’t much new information to give consumers. So, all I can say is that out of proposition and positioning, the latter will gain tremendous importance in 2006. The ‘what’ element in advertising will take a backseat as the ‘how’ part gains prominence.”

Joshi cites a parallel example: “In the film ‘Sholay’, it didn’t take a genius to figure out right at the beginning of the movie that Gabbar Singh would die. What made it interesting was the intricacies, the dialogues, the execution – the ‘how’ part, which people loved.”

Point taken.

Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director, O&M India, feels the real challenge lies in finding new ways of telling the same story. “Indian advertising has gotten better in terms of reaching out and connecting with its TG, but the issue is to be able to relate to people in a way that makes them believe in what the advertiser has to say.”

“Believability comes from reality,” he says.

Joshi feels that what will ultimately matter in 2006 is how Indian advertising connects with consumers, by being more and more influenced by real people and real life.

Agreeing with Pandey, Joshi says, “In 2006, advertisers will pick up real insights from the consumer’s life and make a better connect than they ever have.”

Raj Kurup, regional creative director, Grey Worldwide, talks about the international situation. He feels that India is not quite out there on the international map yet and this is one area to which Indian advertising will need to give its undivided attention.

“People keep talking about the awards that we’re winning abroad, but I personally feel that none of us have made a big dent internationally,” states Kurup. “We still don’t have a ‘David Ogilvy’ amongst us… the seat still lies vacant. This is not to say that Indians don’t possess potential. We just need to come up with more universal ideas that can be leveraged across a whole host of languages.”

Kurup goes on to say that while other countries in Asia such as Japan and Thailand are doing a good job at establishing their presence internationally, Indian advertising still has a long way to go.

Arvind Sharma, CEO and chairman, Leo Burnett, feels that the growth prospects for the communications industry are pretty good in general and the industry will grow at a healthy rate of 20 per cent this year, as opposed to around 15 per cent last year.

“According to me, what will gain importance in the whole advertising spectrum is direct marketing and integrated marketing. Personalised communication will come into the spotlight,” explains Sharma.

Kurup of Grey Worldwide predicts that retail advertising and branding at retail outlets will become more creative and also vital to a brand’s success.

Joshi also points out that advertising will be more layered in 2006, with greater use of the finer Indian nuances. He concludes, “A girl who wears a mini skirt also touches the feet of her elders. A young man who goes to a discotheque visits a temple as well. This coexistence of contradictions in Indian society will be reflected at a greater level in advertising.”

© 2006 agencyfaqs!