75 Years In The Making – Patriotic Advertising!

 

 

Come January 26^th every Indian’s heart is filled with justifiable pride. It is time for celebrations and introspection. We have achieved little and have to achieve much more. Like Frost said “And mile to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep”.

Corporates cash in the patriotic day fervor. Leading corporates leave no stone unturned to make an impression and rake in the moolah. Let us look at some advertisements and promotions that have left an indelible impression on the Indian psyche. Keywords are provided, enabling the reader to access the advertisements from YouTube.com.  See the advertisements for yourself and get inspired. An advertisement is a story that is told in sixty seconds. Cadbury’s Cricket's sixty-second advertisement and the four-hour Lagaan movie have the same ending. Hero hitting the last ball for a six and winning! Short and sweet. Precision is a trait that all advertising legends swear by.

1.   Old Man Saluting the National Flag: Made by Code Red is one of the most inspiring advertisements ever made. It features an idyllic street scene in India. It is business as usual, people leisurely moving about. A girl pestering her mother for pani pooris. Suddenly it starts to rain and it throws everyone out of their zone of comfort. They run helter and skelter. They want to get away. An old cobbler is listening to a cricket match on the radio. The radio crackles and suddenly the Indian national anthem comes on. People keep running while the old man stands up. His old frail frame, white beard, and grizzled hair are accentuated by very old and battered spectacles. His entire visage is spattered by rain but he is resolute in his determination.

He stands very straight. Three small children (shoe shine boys) amusedly look on. Their faces widen in surprise. The old man does not have a leg and he is being supported by a wooden clutch. Moved by his patriotism and sense of Indianness, the three boys too stand up. All the while the frenzied running goes on. Voice over (Amitabh Bachchan in his rich baritone) booms “How can you respect the nation when you can’t respect the national anthem. Respect the national anthem”.   

2.        Boy and the Flag: The advertisement opens with a very small boy talking. He talks about the other person becoming old. He says “You have become sixty years old. Just like my grandfather. That means you are a senior citizen”. The camera pans and to our surprise, we find out that he is talking to the Indian flag. The boy says “When I grow up, I will take care of you. Till that time, happy birthday” He smartly salutes the flag and our hearts swell with pride. What an apt message. The youth will have to take care of the country that is aging gracefully. 

3.    Silent Indian National Anthem: is a public awareness campaign by Reliance for Big Cinemas. It is the Independence Day celebration in a special school for the Deaf and dumb. The entire assembly waits for its leader, the girl who has to lead the Independence Day celebration. The girl races in, sheepishness writ large on her face. The national anthem starts and then it hits us. The national anthem is muted, even the sound. We have to strain to hear it. Imagine life in a silent world surrounded by all the noise you can never hear. It is like watching an exciting movie with sound muted. The children gamely continue. They sing the national anthem with mime and actions. Their pluckiness and grit touch a chord in our hearts. Special children don’t need our sympathy. They only need a pat on the shoulder as encouragement. John Milton said, “They also serve those who only stand and stare”. 

4.       Lead India Campaign: The Times of India group has won many accolades and awards. Many of us think “Oh those people are very corrupt. They are like that and so on” Who are those? They are us. They are no different. We get the government we deserve. If the politicians are corrupt we are responsible. Many times we also say “I could be the leader if I am given a chance’. Lead India provides the platform. It challenges us to walk the talk. Be the change that you want others to be. In an unprecedented move, Lead India tried to mobilize leaders from the aam Janta – that is us. Superbly anchored by Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, Lead India was a super duper success and spawned many other ME TOO campaigns like Teach India and others.

Lead India advertisement opens with a huge tree obstructing traffic on a big busy public road. Everyone is vexed including the cops and a busy politician. The politician who has to solve the problem is whisked away to an alternate route. People are squabbling and things are unfolding the normal Indian way. Watching on is a boy in his school uniform. 

Out of sheer frustration, he gets off the bus and starts to push the gigantic tree. The unstoppable obstacle meets an equally dogmatic and determined counterforce. Seeing the boy getting drenched and struggling with the mighty tree (the insurmountable problem) many join in. And they prove the point. With a collective heave, they succeed in moving the tree out of the way. Our mental cobwebs get cleared too. Leaders are not some strange people or aliens from another planet. Leaders are among us. “Awake the leaders in us”. The soul-stirring lyrics Tum Chalo to Hindustan Chale are written by Gulzar the music is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and the song is sung by Shankar Mahadevan. 

5.    Indian Patriotism For Tiranga: A strapping young Sardar has been wooing his lady love for more than two years. The exasperated girl enquires “How long will this go on”.  The gallant Sardar falls to his knees and says “As long as it takes”. The girl’s heart melts and she is about to accept him. She gets annoyed by a persistent tugging of her sleeve by an urchin offering her an Indian Flag. “Not another flag,” she says. Her gallant Sardar takes the proffered flag and pins it to his coat.  He says “A girl who can’t love the national flag can’t love anybody” and walks away. 

      He is watched by the now wistful girl and the astonished urchin. As he walks into the sunset he is saluted by the mocking kids, a panipuri seller, a shopkeeper, and an old man. Your flag is the symbol of your country and no one can insult it including the girl whom you ardently wooed for more than two years. Way to go Sardarji. 

6.   Mile Sur Mera Tumara: is a video song promoting national integration and unity in diversity. Developed in 1988 by Doordarshan the song features people from all walks of life, including a group of Indian celebrities — musicians, sports persons, movie stars, etc. Mile Sur mera tumara instilled a sense of pride and promoted unity highlighting India's different linguistic communities and societies - India's unity in diversity. Hugely popular it featured the voices of Bhimsen Joshi, M. Balamuralikrishna, Lata Mangeshkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shubhangi Bose, and Suchitra Mitra. 

7.   Maa Tujhe Salaam: is the title song from the album Vande Mataram released on the 60^th Golden Jubilee anniversary of India's independence and has been very popular in instilling a sense of patriotic pride and national unity amongst the people.  It had a profoundly positive and unifying impact on the nationalistic and patriotic mood. Sung by Rahman himself the song has stunning visuals, and great photography, and the music by the maestro has meant that for many it is a song that comes to epitomize the sense of being an Indian. 

8.   Coke small world campaign:   Indians and Pakistanis are always at each other.  A Coca-Cola advertisement shows a way to bring them together. What unites us is stronger than what sets us apart. High-tech vending machines were installed in two popular shopping malls in Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi, India and consumers were invited to put their differences aside and share a simple moment over a Coke.

Coke Small World Machines provided a live communications portal linking strangers in two nations with the hope of provoking a small moment of happiness and promoting cultural understanding. Coke used 3D touchscreen technology to project a streaming video feed onto the vending machine screen while simultaneously filming through the unit to capture a live emotional exchange. People from both countries and various walks of life were encouraged to complete a friendly task together – wave, touch hands, draw a peace sign, or dance – before sharing a Coca-Cola. That should be the aim of life, be happy and let everyone be happy. Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu' 

 

9.   Hamara Bajaj: The campaign symbolified everything that we Indians stand for. It portrayed normal Indians who take pride in their Bajaj. And taking care of their Bajaj scooter was a common thread that bound us all. After all, Bajaj was the one thing that was totally Indian. It was the pride of India. Hamara Bajaj was a nostalgic advertisement for all of us. It brought out the Indianness in us. Bajaj talked about its manufacturing prowess and its unmistakable pedigree but at the same time, it was totally homegrown. Keywords for youTube.com search:  Hamara BAJAJ (1989) DD old advertisement, Hamara Bajaj (Badal rahe hai hum yaha), Old TV ad - Hamara Bajaj. 

10,   Anbuj Cements Hindu-Muslim Flag competition:  

 

 

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication!!

I totally agree!! with the coming of Chat GPT and AI, everyone is appearing to be smart!! But it is the simple things that most forget. Some of the innovations are so simple that I kick myself and exclaim, "Why didn't I think about it". 

Take for example those huge popcorn buckets that are handed out at fast food centers and Malls. Most are simply discarded but a marketer in the Australian Big Bash Cricket League has taken it to the next level. These buckets are being marketed as huge hats that can be worn and discarded once the day's play is done and dusted. 

Think of the mileage a company can get by placing its promotional material on the cap!! IPL innovation this year!!! I claim the IP title for this particular innovation!!! 

The second innovation too was very simple. In the Benson and Hedges Cricket Championship 1985 held in Australia the spectators were given blank free posters with the logo of Toyota printed. The spectators were asked to make innovative slogans about the match and the players. The catch - the slogan should incorporate Totota's logo. Incorporating the Toyota logo was very simple. The logo looks like the letter O. The spectators have to simply pen a catchy slogan that has the letter O. The best slogans were featured on live television and the best three were given prizes. 

And whenever a slogan was shown on Live TV it was free publicity for Toyota corporation.  

 

Kumbh Mela the biggest Pilgrimage in the world – A marketing Bonanza for the companies!

The pilgrimage widely considered to attract the most visitors on a single day, potentially reaching tens of millions, is the Kumbh Mela in India, particularly the "Maha Kumbh" held in Prayagraj. It is often regarded as the largest religious gathering in the world.

On 4th Feb 2019, an estimated 50 million or 5 crore people visited Maha Kumbh. That is the entire population of Uganda or Spain coming to a small place like the Prayagraj Ghats on a single day, and the population of the USA and Egypt visiting the Maha Kumbh in just 45 days!

Maha Kumbh 2025 is set to attract 450 million or 45 crore people over 45 days. it is a once-in-12-year marketing jackpot that all companies big and small would like to dive in and reap the benefits.

It is estimated that over Rs 2,00,000 crores revenue would be earned from the Maha Kumbh 2025. The helicopter facility itself is estimated to garner a business of 3.5 crore rupees per day.

According to the Times of India, Indian brands are expected to spend Rs 3,600 crores on advertising and marketing.

Campa Cola: Reliance industries want to quench the thirst of the pilgrims but offering (free?) Campa Cola bottles for the pilgrims to be hydrated and stay spiritual at the same time.

Mangaldeep: ITC's Mangaldeep brand of Agarbattis will be in full force to cash in. It is the product that directly connects to the pilgrims at a spiritual  level. I am sure that ITC's Mangaldeep would be in great demand. whether offered free or sold at MRP!!

Bingo: ITC’s Potato chip brand Bingo is also jumping into the fray. It will pop up the spirituality by playing local songs at its booths and offering typical Uttar Pradesh dishes blended with what else - its signature brand of Potato chips Bingo - Tedhe Medhe.

Dettol: Reckitt with its omnipresent hygiene brand Dettol is  associating with 15,000 sanitation workers of Maha Kumbh by training them in better sanitation practices and providing them with free Dettol soaps.

Coca-Cola: Not to be left behind Coca-Cola India has come out with Maidaan Saaf a drive to make the Kumbh free of waste and encourage visitors to make Kumbh a place that crores of visitors can visit and enjoy.

Pepsi:  its competitor had come out with a 30 30-foot illuminated Mountain Dew bottle that electrifies the place and provides better navigation and visibility.  The most brilliant strategy is to have 500 charging points under its now famous energy drink brand the Sting. So, with Mountain Drew and string pilgrims can get electrified, charged and recharged

 for the Maha Kumbh

Bank of Baroda:  will provide a Digital Payment facility at various points but the most innovative eyeball-catching marketing exercise comes from Amazon India.

Amazon India:  will provide portable beds made from its rugged cardboard packaging boxes, providing comfort and at the same time reinforcing the point that packages from Amazon are both safe and rugged and that they would not get damaged in transit.

Eveready Industries:  is providing 5,000 Siren Torches (DL102) with powerful safety alarms to the Maha Kumbh Police, along with Ultima batteries. Eveready's torches not only illuminate the way but also help ensure a safer environment for millions of attendees.

Additionally, it enhanced the spiritual experience by installing 13,000 advanced LED lights, including 150W streetlights and 250W floodlights, across the expansive grounds to ensure safety and vibrancy for millions of attendees.

Paytm:  is installing soundbox and card machines across the event for hassle-free digital payments. The brand has also launched the 'Bhavya Mahakumbh QR' to support merchants.

Relaxo provides footwear

KDM  chargers:  are providing 90 tent charging stations that will charge 16 lakh mobile phones in 45 days.

KUKU FM: Kuku FM has launched the 'Bhakti App'. This app offers over 2000 hours of devotional content, including bhajans, audiobooks, and spiritual shows. It will be promoted at the mela through a 360-degree campaign with on-ground presence, kiosks, and giveaways.

How to set up a blog and be successful - Patience and Perseverance pay in the long run

Man is a funny being. We always crave things that come in the future rather than live in the present.

Great, but this can lead to stress and maybe a burnout later. 

Take, for instance, we want to go to Tirupati. We are on pins and needles till we get train reservations, then we wait for the day of travel, then for the taxi to arrive, the taxi to reach the railway station, and once we are at the station we are anxious if the RAC ticket will get confirmed or not, if the RAC is confirmed, if we would get a lower berth, if it is confirmed, anxious when the train would start, and so and and so forth. 

Similarly, my blogging journey started humbly in 2010. 

The thrill of setting it up was over, and then the wait for the first post, the first reader, the first 100 readers, the first comment, and the 10,000 reader mark, the 50,000 readers mark. 

In 2014, 2015, and 2016, when The Hans India was publishing my feature regularly for 156 weeks, interest in blogging took a back seat. 

Once The Hans India discounted my feature my interest in blogging picked up again. 

There were days when I would be thrilled to get 50 readers a day. For many years, I would got used to 300 readers per day. 

But from the last year, there has been renewed interest in reading blogs, and readership has started to climb, and in the last few months, I am getting 400 to 500 readers per day. 

But things have changed dramatically in the last one or two months. 

Nowadays I have started to get 1000, 1500, and for the last 3 or 5 days I am even crossing 2000 readers/day. 

I am in no way overreaching myself. I am staying committed and humble and will try my best to share whatever little I know about marketing and business.

Axis Max Life Insurance campaign - sheer bad luck or bad timing!!

Sometimes, ads pop up at the wrong time. Axis Bank came out with a new campaign, Double Bhorosa, highlighting the point that Max Life has become Axis Max Life. The endorsers are Rohit Sharma and his ever-bubbly wife, Ritika. 

The assumption is that they make a great team. The campaign wants to promote the concept of "double bhorosa," how Rohit and Ritika Would provide double bhorosa for their two children. 

Creative and cute, but a doubt creeps into my mind about the timing!!!  Both the so-called Bhorosa guys in the Indian team, Rohit and Virat are not doing well. In fact, Rohit is not even playing and the ad is doing rounds! Bad timing, Axis Max Life Insurance!!.