The Art of Convincing People

Advertisements: A chance given to the viewers to follow two programs scheduled at the same time. 
Good Advertisements: It did what all ads are supposed to do: create an anxiety relieve-able by purchase.

Many experts on Advertising believe that a consumer has shut his brains to advertising in places he knows he is going to bombarded with various ads. Hence, today a marketer should try and reach his customer when he least expects it and in places most unlikely. This will help the brand to be registered in consumer's mind. As much as we can agree with this, a good and an innovative ad is what people are looking forward to these days. There have been some advertisements  for which I restrain myself from changing the channel. 

The Vodafone campaign of Zoo Zoos had a similar effect on many, and the feel- good Cadbury ads with impeccable looking fresh and pretty artists sure did. However, the government campaigns on increasing awareness scorned at. I can not defend  the 'Mukhesh Harane' ad as a warning against smoking. I mean, that is not the way to get people to stop from smoking, proven effective are the illustrations of disease effected organs on the very pack of the cigarettes in Australia,may be it is time we stringently followed that. However, I am able to make my peace with the new advertisements parading 'Quit Smoking'. They explicitly emphasize on Second hand smoking and appeal to the 'Pathos' of a quintessential Indian- the family. Well, this might actually have more impact than rotten lungs and surgical instruments on 75mm.


Of all the domains of influence and persuasion:: Ethos, Pathos and Logos.. The persuader, though free to use any strategy.the  persuadee always has an upper hand of making his own choice. Keeping that in mind, sensitizing the advertisements to cause awareness is in much of a necessity.

Well, this post is in praise of some advertisements that might actually have an eternal impact, well that would be exaggerating,they might actually have an impact on me for a really long time.  

Here is an advertisement that I loved in the recent times:: NACO (National AIDS Control Organisation)

The new campaign, launched on January 28, has been produced by BBC World Service Trust. NACO has spent a whopping Rs 7 crore to book air time on radio and TV channels for a month. The advertisements aired till February 28.

I am sick of all the advertisements where a lesson is taught by a voice we don't know[being taught, really?? Are we still not ready to show that some of us are already aware and empowered?]. This advertisement, made it a point that ::

• People were already aware of the discrimination.
• They did not actually 'exhibit' the ways of discrimination.
• They have the courage to stand up to make a voice.
• Once these are done, The rest do not have a choice but make way to change.

Though it might seem like these are but trivial issues, they attracted me a lot. There are no surgeries shown, no sick people shown. It only portrays the responsibility we have, to stand up and protect the people being looked down upon, with immense intellectual integrity. 

Well, this is the crux: You don't show what is wrong, in explicit detail, while it plays a major role in plot, what needs to be done is the main issue. It may as well lead to an attitudinal change that the ad is aiming at.

Though, wittily, they went towards a modern approach in FM advertisements and stuck to the more conservative path on Video advertisements in the campaign to promote condom usage. May be, that was for the best, not to fire up a debate on issues that were proven socially sensitive. 

Technically: The lighting, manipulation of camera angles with symbolically portraying the boss (once or twice) from the eyes of the employees caught my eye.

Well, one would but expect this from an advertisement aiming at social change. The not-so-recent Tanishq ad, a completely corporate endeavor took a completely different stand,not adorning a woman just because of the ornaments she wears. [The ad did not have the need to explicitly state the impending re-marriage,as it would have been a contrast and a misfit with the subtle] I must say, it was not elusive. Loved the colorist, and the step to move away from every possible stereotype. 

What can I say, Advertising is the life of Trade, and the very essence of Democracy.