Big idea, cultural insights must even in digital era ads

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

The dissonance around Amul's local twist on the recent Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal in its topical ad has spotlighted the significance of cultural connect required for any campaign to work, even if it's 'moment marketing'. Taking off on the viral moment that inadvertently exposed the affair between former Astronomer CEO and the company's HR chief, Amul wrote 'Hum tum ek camera mein bandh ho,' adding a tagline: 'Only scoops, no oops!' The ad did not go down well. Big idea, cultural insights must even in digital era ads
A more recent Swiggy ad has been similarly panned by critics for its forced rhyming of the festival 'Teej' with 'Cheez.' Swiggy's ad read: 'Tu Teej badi hai mast mast,' a twist on the popular song, 'Tu cheez badi hai mast mast.' The ad was criticised for reducing a sacred festival to clever wordplay.
Speed is essential to advertising in the era of digital media proliferation, viral moments and attention economy, said experts, but it cannot negate the need for deeper cultural insights in communication.
The Amul and Swiggy examples illustrate the point that data and analytics company Kantar made recently in the brief framework for successful advertising released along with a list of winners of its Creative Effectiveness Awards in early July. The awards are based on Kantar's pre-testing tool, an ad evaluation mechanism for its clients' campaigns.
Prasanna Kumar, EVP and head of creative (South Asia) at Kantar, said marketers get bored and constantly look for fresh ideas, but the three pillars of effective advertising remain culture, creativity and impact. 'The patterns we uncovered over five years show what resonates deeply are stories rooted in culture, sparked by creativity and rich in emotional truth.' Culture is context, creativity the catalyst and impact is the outcome, Kantar said in its report, announcing GoodKnight, Eno and Horlicks among the winners.
For advertisers, a film must meet the basic brand objectives: cut through the clutter, drive short-term sales and build equity, Kumar said. Culture is comfort food, he added. Angel investor and marketing expert Lloyd Mathias said the Amul Coldplay ad was criticized as it overlooked the cultural context.
'Though sharp and topical, the ad didn't work because extra marital relationships in India are not looked upon very kindly. So, making a joke on it wasn't a great cultural fit,' he said. Besides, the concept of being caught on camera at a rock concert resonates with 1-2% of India's population, a small percentage of urban consumers who get the context of office romances and the nuances of corporate India, he said. 'Amul tried to capitalize on something which isn't mass,' he added.
Yet the most effective ads are built not just on broad cultural insights, but on small, instantly relatable slice-of-life moments -- a festival ritual, a turn of phrase or an Indian quirk, the Kantar report said.
'Several brands over the decades have appropriated deeply ingrained cultural insights to bring their campaigns alive. For instance, Maruti's old TV commercial 'Kitna deti hai' highlighting Indians' obsession with mileage above all else became unforgettable,' Kumar said.
The big idea hasn't gone out of style, Mathias said. It remains the cornerstone of advertising. However, it may no longer mean one big budget film with movie stars. 'It could be a series of micro executions that build that idea,' he said, adding that brands must have a central theme, an idea that works for their core audience.
While nimbleness, speed and cultural resonance play a central role, brands can create fresh ideas and use local idioms relevant to a particular geography. 'Multiple executions are the norm, and ads can be customized for different geographies and demographics with the help of AI,' Mathias added.