<FONT COLOR="#FF0033"><B>Guest Article, Biju Joseph Dominic:</B></FONT> Ad industry – it’s time to ask uncomfortable questions

Dominic clarifies the questions raised on his last article on agencyfaqs!, ‘Advertising Industry: In desperate need of a revolution’

Biju Joseph Dominic

MUDRA

May 4

Any revolution begins with a thought that a revolution is inevitable. From the responses I got for my last article, from CEOs to management trainees, it is clear that many people in the ad industry believe in the need for a revolution.

Many asked me, "What is the next step?" The next step is all about asking the right questions. The questions you ask will determine the answers you get, which in turn determines your course of action and so the direction of the revolution.

In the Middle Ages, there was an outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe killing more than one third of Europeans. As this catastrophe hit Europe, the prominent question was "why is this happening to us?" The answer to that question came from the religious leaders of that time. They said "it is a judgement of God on sinful mankind". So the course of action to avoid the plague catastrophe was prayers and avoiding sins. But this course of action did not provide the solution for plague.

On the other hand, Alexandre Yersin, a student of Louis Pasteur asked a different question about the same catastrophe. He asked, "What is causing this problem". This question led to the discovery of the bacillus that caused the plague and the course of action that emanated from that discovery led to an efficient and permanent control of the disease.

In a similar vein, if one needs to find solutions to the catastrophe that has hit the ad industry, then one needs to ask the right questions.

Questions like 'how can we increase the tally at the next ad award function?' are the ones to avoid. The answers to such questions will only provide a false sense of comfort about the status quo. No constructive actions will follow from those answers. The inaction that results from this false sense of well-being is the greatest danger that the ad industry needs to avoid at all cost.

But there are some questions that make you uncomfortable because they question the status quo. The answers to those questions force us to chart new action paths. Some of those questions are:

A deep understanding of the consumer is at the core of developing effective communication strategies. If that is so, why is it that many ad professionals have not spent even 10 minutes with the consumer of the products/services they create advertising for, in the last one month?

What needs to be done to make sure that all ad professionals- client servicing, creative and even media planners spend much more time outside their offices understanding the consumers than in the AC comforts of theirivory towers?

Most of us do not share our personal thoughts even with our closest friends.

But how is that we as an industry believe that focus group, a research method where consumers have to open their minds in front of several strangers is accepted as a key tool to understand consumers?

Why, as an industry, do we believe that making the brand logo smaller is better?

When the consumer is willing to go through 26 pages of written matter in his morning newspaper, why is that we believe that the consumer is not interested in reading long copy?

Lakhs of people stand in the hot sun for hours to listen to the speeches of political leaders. Is there anything the ad professionals can learn about persuasive communication from these politicians so as to motivate the consumers to spend at least 10 seconds reading our ads?

Why is it that based on the data from just 5,500 Peoplemeters spread across just six metros and 12 states and none in any rural areas (70 per cent of Indians live there), we assume that we know all about television viewership across the country?

In media planning terms, 'primetime' is when the largest number of households have switched on their television. But, on closer look at the viewership data, one finds that the cumulative TVRs of all programmes at any point of time (respective languages plus English) at best adds up to only about 17.

How can we call a time band, primetime, where only 17 per cent of TV owning households are tuned in? At what time do the other 83 per cent switch on their TV sets?

These are some of the many questions that pass through my mind every day. I am in the process of finding answers to at least some of them.

I believe that as more and more professionals question the status quo, they will all realise the weakness in the knowledge base and practices of the ad industry. And as more and more professionals seek out answers to those questions, a new dawn will begin in our industry.

Have the courage to ask more and more questions. The answers will follow. And before you know it, you will be reaping the rewards of the revolution.

(The writer is vice-president, Mudra Communications, Mumbai. You can write to him b.dominic@mudra.com)

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