From the young ones in our family to the ones who are enjoying their old age, there would be not one person who has not seen an advertisement. Be it the famous actors an ad has, the unique story that it shows, or even the jingle, like 'Utterly Butterly Delicious, Amul!', viewers find it interesting and catchy. This is what in turn pushes the consumer to buy products of several brands. What we have to understand is that advertisements play a major role in the marketing of a brand. The advertisers are pretty clever and cunning in a way that they play with human emotions so as to catch the attention of the viewers. To give a better understanding of what I have been saying, all human beings have five basic instincts that are positive and six basic instincts that are negative. Don't worry! I am not going to bore you guys with just the details, but I will be showing you some videos as well! Let's get to it, shall we?
Although 'positive' is not a word that we like to hear because of the distressing times we are going through, I like keeping a positive vibe and surrounding myself with people who are brimming with positivity. You get where I am going, don't you?
The first positive instinct I would like to show is 'Dharma', which means righteousness. Righteousness can be shown in several different ways. It's a very simple emotion but appears to be pretty complex for many people.
With the tagline 'Daag Acche Hain', Surf Excel has always brought out ads that portray kindness, selflessness, and of course righteousness. This ad that I have shown above, will surely strike the right chords of our hearts. I don't think that I have to say anything more, as the ad speaks for itself. Surf Excel ads are a brilliant example of righteousness.
'Prema', our next instinct is something that all of us have felt even at least once in our lives. In my opinion, I feel that it is one of the easiest instincts to play with, as everybody has felt it or will feel it.
It is safe to say that I am eating Doublemint while I'm writing this. One of the very few mints that I eat, this is my absolute favorite. A very popular ad, it is for the hopeless romantic in you and manages to encapsulate the emotion of love or 'prema' perfectly.
'Let truth prevail all'. Truth or 'Satya' is our next emotion. Being truthful all the time is hard. Sometimes, we feel like lying is the better option. Here, in the ad below, a guy wants to lie to impress the girl he loves. Though that's what the ad is about, it has an underlying meaning as well.
While it's all about the fact that the guy is telling lies on how he got injured, this ad indirectly tries to tell us that the icecream of this particular brand is true and pure. An example of good marketing.
You know what is the first thing that comes into my mind when I hear 'peace'? It's the beach, with its waves rushing to the shore, the wind singing, and the beautiful atmosphere. 'Shanti' is the next instinct.
This TVC by Cycle agarbattis has simply shown the peace God showers upon us. With a simple question "Is God there?", it shows us the peace that an incense stick can give us. For me, this advertisement has definitely shown what peace can be.
And now, the last basic instinct which is positive. 'Ahimsa' or non-violence. Ahimsa is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi. Here, I have shown an ad that indirectly brings about the idea of non- violence.
Here, our very own Captain Cool, M.S.Dhoni loses his cool when hunger hits him. He takes out his anger on his teammates and starts to become violent. Just in time, his teammate offers him a Snickers and on eating it, he instantly calms down. This is how Snickers has portrayed non-violence.
Moving on to the negative instincts that all humans have, the first one that I'm going to tackle is 'Kama', which means lust, craze, or desire. An emotion that is used just as much as love, lust is mostly used with sex appeal for perfume ads that show women crazily chasing men, after the guy sprays on some of the fragrance or the man lusting after the woman who has just used a fragrant powder. I have used an example similar to that.
In a surprising turn of events, in this TVC, the man is objectified and not the woman. With a tagline of 'Play Dirty', Wildstone has made an ad where women show their craze and desire for the man. I don't think that I'll have to explain further as the handsome Purab Kohli will do it for me.
Anger. 'Krodha'. An emotion that manages to suffice all. Anger varies from person to person. Some people may be short-tempered while others may be calmer than you think.
Well, in this ad for Quickr Nxt, the person selling the car is not that angry. But, these constant prank calls and fake calls are bound to make him angry and lose his mind. Which is why Quikr has come up with a new feature of number privacy. So, no more anger issues to fight!
'Lobha', which also means greed, miserliness, or narrow-mindedness is the third instinct. I have decided to show you the latter meaning of the emotion i.e, narrow-mindedness. Of course, where else would I turn to than fairness cream advertisements?
The Fair and Lovely ads have always been a source of discrimination between fair and dark-skinned girls. In this ad, they have gone on to say so much so that a girl needs to be fair to become a collector and achieve her dreams. I could go on but let me just stop by saying that 'Dark is Beautiful'.
Having delusions or emotional attachment towards people or things are a part of human instincts. Here is where 'Moha' comes into play. Let's see how brands have used this for marketing.
Using a play on words to make the word 'Aamsutra', this ad shows Katrina Kaif desiring the mango. She is attracted to the mango and is waiting for the mango to ripen so as to devour it. Clearly, in this ad, Katrina is living in a world of delusion.
Ego, stubbornness, and pride. Also known as 'Mada', There is no living being in this world that does not have these emotions. Tickling the pride of a person is the perfect way to get to her/him. Nobody likes to hurt their ego. This is what the marketing team brilliantly plays with.
While the ad has cast Deepika Padukone, one of the finest actors of our country, she tells the women that, Lux, a beauty soap, is a matter of pride for us. Using it will make us feel proud of ourselves and fill us with pride. Again, I would like to stress the fact that although a matter of pride, beauty is not everything.
Whew. We've finally reached the final instinct. And, it is nothing other than 'Matsarya'. The constant need to be better than the rest. The competition we have with everyone else. And ourselves as well. This is wonderfully captured in ads that want to say that they are better than their competitors.
Two chefs go all around the country to get food stains on their chef coats. Apparently, just to prove the fact that Ariel is better than the other 'jaana maana' washing powders. We all know who they are talking about here though. See it for yourselves.
So, this is what my article was about. I just wanted to show you, people, the way brand marketing teams use human emotions to promote their products. They take advantage of the various feelings and emotions a person carries around with them and develops it into an ad. To quote Matt Mazzie, "Sell the problem you solve, not the product".
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a theory that was propagated by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper, "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. This is a theory in the subject of psychology. What is Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, you ask? Through this theory, Abraham Maslow has talked about a 'motivational' five-tier pyramid which has physiological needs at the bottom and self-actualization at the top-most tier. It tells us about the five levels of needs that a human being has right from the simple needs to the most complex ones.
I am going to explain this pyramid to you, of course, with the help of examples. On the bottom tier, is physiological needs. These are very basic needs that are common to all human beings, like food, water, and other basic necessities. Here, I will provide you with a very simple example of Kurlon mattress. I associate the mattress with one of my physiological needs i.e, sleep. When I need to rest after a taxing day, the mattress comes to my rescue.
The second tier is nothing other than the safety needs. This can differ from person to person. While others may find their home to be safe, having life insurance as safe, or traveling by Uber safe, what I find safe might be a bit weird to you all. I have a water bottle made of steel(!) that quenches my need for safety. I carry it around with me wherever I go and this, in turn, makes me feel safe.
As you can see, the tier that is third in position is having the need to feel loved or having a sense of belongingness. This tier is simply food for me, or rather, Bingo chips in particular. Eating these chips once in a while brings me happiness and makes me feel at home, no matter where I am. For me, my family and friends are love. And, Bingo chips seems to tick all the right boxes of love and belongingness.
Esteem needs. That is what the fourth tier is all about. The need to be respected, the need to be recognized, and the need to have a higher status in society. Desired by everyone, all are constantly on the run for fulfilling their esteem needs. A part of my need for esteem has been filled by my car, the magnificent Skoda Rapid. A car of pride and valor, I feel great when I drive the car. It brings me a sense of high self-esteem and value.
Moving on to the last tier, it is self-actualization. The most complex needs of them all, self-actualization can never be actually achieved by a person. It takes a lot of time and effort. In my opinion, a brand that has achieved self-actualization is The Body Shop. No matter how many brands come and go, this will be the one for me. It has proved its worth and I can never think of using another brand for my self-care.
This is how I have conceptualized Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in accordance with the brands or products that I have used at each level. It need not be the same for another person. The product that I use to fulfill my safety needs may be a physiological need for another. It will differ from person to person. Don't worry, Psychology and the case in point, the Hierarchy of Needs, does take a long time to understand.
“Healthy hoga Hindustan, Lifebuoy hai jahaan, tandurusti hai wahaan”.
Staying true to its tagline, Lifebuoy is sold with the USP that it provides
100% better protection when compared with other ordinary soaps.
Ok, so before coming to the topic on which my article is about, let me
tell you what the macro factors of a marketing environment are. These are the
factors that affect the marketing environment of a business, company, or
organization. Also known as the DEPEST or PESTEL analysis, the six macro
factors that determine an environment of marketing are demographic factors,
economic factors, political factors, ecological or natural forces, socio-
cultural or cultural factors and technological forces. I am not going to bore
you non- marketers out there by diving into details. Let me get to my point.
Lifebuoy is a brand that has been around India since
1894. Now, that’s a very long time. When it arrived on the shores of the Bombay
Harbour, it was promoted as a soap which was for males and sporty. It has come
a long way from there as it is now a family brand. Belonging to Unilever, an
MNC, Lifebuoy is one of the most successful brands of the organization.
Coming to the demographic factors that Lifebuoy has to
consider, India is its major market. So obviously it has to consider the Indian
market and the people who buy Lifebuoy. When compared with other soaps, the
price of Lifebuoy is low. And, the main market that Lifebuoy caters to is the
rural Indian market. As the rural man of India cannot afford to buy a shower
gel, they will stick to soaps. And for them, Lifebuoy is the next best thing.
But, after the unfortunate arrival of Covid-19, they have had to bring forth a
new marketing strategy. Lifebuoy is planning to donate two crore pieces in the
next few months to particular areas of the Indian society that need it the
most. It also started a ‘hands-on’ handwashing campaign to encourage people
(especially children) to wash their hands.
Economically, the sales of Lifebuoy were flat. But
after the onset of Covid, it witnessed a boom in its sales in the June quarter,
especially when the economic times are challenging. To boost its sales further,
Lifebuoy has slashed its prices by 15%, while also increasing its production.
Unilever will also donate Rs 10 crore to upgrade the health care and testing
facilities.
Lifebuoy’s USP has played a major role in the sales
that it has had. Even before Covid had encroached our country, Lifebuoy
promised to kill germs better than other ordinary soaps. So people who had used
Lifebuoy was sure of using Lifebuoy to kill Covid causing germs as well. These
were the natural forces that protected Lifebuoy.
We all know the major role that technology plays in
our lives. So, Lifebuoy asked the help of famous artists like Badshah, their
brand ambassador Kajol, and Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh to promote their
handwashing campaign. They also introduced the hashtag, #dothelifebuoy on Instagram.
Politics comes everywhere, am I right? In a ‘first of
its brand’ initiative, Lifebuoy teamed up with the Brihan Mumbai Municipal
Corporation to spread awareness about the pandemic as well as give out hygiene
kits to the frontline workers. It also partnered with Yuvraj Singh’s foundation
‘YouWeCan’ which enabled people to donate money to the helpless and needy
through Paytm.
Like I said before, Lifebuoy was made to cater to the
Indian middle class. That has not changed even after Covid has disrupted our
lives. The culture of being a family brand still continues as it still
advocates Lifebuoy for the whole family. It also has introduced a range of
sanitizers, sanitizer sprays, and handwashes.
Lifebuoy was an indispensable product providing
hygiene and cleanliness to the whole family. In distressing times like these,
it still has managed to keep its promise of being better and fighting germs. At
the same time, it has philanthropically helped those in need. This has only, in
turn, managed to increase its value in the eyes of Lifebuoy’s loyal as well as
new customers.
