Brands are becoming properties of people

What is your opinion on internet as a medium of advertising? Is it a challenge to make creatives for the net?
It is definitely a challenge. Until two years ago, internet was seen as a spam medium, with emails being sent like smses.

Marketeers thought it was the biggest thing as there was no cost involved in sending mails. But it was limited to flash animation, web banners and the best way to spread information as people were reluctant to go visit sites. One could send as many mails as possible to those whom one knew.

A couple of years ago e-commerce became larger in the Indian context - and secure too - as more and more people are buying things through the internet.

The creative aspect of designing for the net is much more challenging. There is the one way medium, you tell and no one answers. Then there is television that allows you to entertain since it is audio-visual. Print also gives information to a large section.

Internet is much more personal, much more measurable and you know the profile of the people whom you are talking to. Now it is no longer about sending banners or mailers, it is interactive. You can navigate them into microsites, it is an art of grabbing their attention taking them into the area they want.

How has branding changed over the years?
As a result of internet, YouTube and Facebook communities are becoming larger using advertising through communities.

Even our clients, for instance Procter & Gamble, use communities to talk to the youth and the communities (See: Does P&G's marketing on social networks make sense?)  You can be a part of them rather than standing on a pedestal and talking to them.

Internet encourages people to be a part of a community. Brands are being built through the net. For example www.jagore.com  by Tata Tea is a novel way of bringing about awareness about voting.

It is amazing how information can be shared using interenet as a tool.

The biggest revolution is happening across the world. Brands are not properties of manufacturers but are becoming properties of people. We have transformed ourselves from the brand era, ideas era, marketing era to a peoples era.
 
People now create a lot of content on the brands. It is virtually live. There are a lot of edited versions on YouTube on South Indian super star Mamooty, on Shah Rukh and footage on Ashkay Kumar.

People have access to technology, want to express themselves by putting their own commentary, own music. They have such an authority and an affinity with their stars, and feel they can do anything to bond and make it like a home video.

Consumers have developed the same affinity with a brand. If you go to YouTube and type Nike India, you don't see the official commercial but you see a lot of consumer-created content. There are films songs and stunts done on the street. This way the consumer shows what they think of a brand.

There are so many blog spaces by which people interact on the net. Three years back there was a huge blog made by consumers of Mcdonalds in India that was community-created. The group has an opinion and the memebrs chat about it. Anything new happens there is an opinion and communities chat on it.

The power has gone from the manufacturers and from the creators to the people who are now the 'generation C' – the content creators.

Consumers are hungry to create content to express themselves and share information. So there is this entire movement from the people and not from manufacturers or sellers.

Brands want to be part of this group. There is a huge challenge happening around the world and interenet being a world without boundaries makes it even more challenging.

How has technology helped advertising?
With internet now we have friends from across the world. On Facebook, you have to have a minute-by-minute change of your status, what you are doing, what you are thinking.

It is very dynamic and challenging to work in this environment. You need to understand that I don't belong if I don't change my status on Facebook every three hours, if I don't understand, I cannot create. You must learn new things, be a part of new things to be creative.

One must learn new things as a content creator.

How does youth contribute to the advertising industry? As consumers and in the industry?
Our country has more than 56 per cent population under 25. But from the industry point of view, it depends on what you are advertising. You could be advertising for Rolls Royce or Mercedes or expensive phones on YouTube. But the people who have the money are 35 plus. Youth is only excited about technology but it may not be able to afford it.

In a world that is changing, every one wants to be a part of the change. It you don't invite change, you don't belong and you are left out. Psychographically even if people are between 35 and 40 plus, they want to be a part of the change. They want to know what is Facebook. There is an aspiration to be younger, knowledgeable. The younger you are, the more you invite change. We are not talking about physical age... it's the mind.

Young minds accept change. When you advertise, you are not talking to a physical age it depends on which category you are talking about.

When talking about technology, youth and children come far ahead in technology as they understand it better and they have a huge say in these matters. When buying a cell phone, it is always the children who advise their parents. Once the instrument is purchased, they know all its features better than an adult.

This change is very evident - of fathers and mothers learning from children.

Depending on which category you are addressing, you must reach out to them.

What is the relevance of celebrities in the advertising industry? Do they help to market a product?
When a celebrity endorses a product, the common belief is, "If the brand were to be a human being, it would be like the celebrity" endorsing it. There is a seamless metaphor between the celebrity and brand.

Aamir Khan is a perfectionist, forward looking, doesn't get stuck in clichés. There are lots of values which the star has and when you want to put those values into your brand then one uses that particular celebrity.

When the celebrity is not in tune with what you want to promote, its better not to use him or her as a sales person because they have a certain stature. Amitabh Bachchan has achieved many things and epitomises the spirit of this country. He has dignity so he is best used for those brands. You cannot reduce someone so big to something small like selling cycles. If you are using celebrities you should use them as a brand endorsers.

On the other hand, celebrities themselves have become cluttered. Most of the times you don't even remember which star is promoting which brand. Dhoni is endorsing shaving cream, cola and cement among other things. Sachin and Dhoni have added to the clutter. So even if there is a celebrity, people have problems recalling the brand the celebrity is associated with.

When Sourav Ganguly was going through a bad patch, Pepsi stood by him. People appreciated, not Sourav, but Pepsi because the company stood by him. Brands are like human beings.

What is your opinion about recession afffecting advertising?
It is already affecting the industry but the effect is not as big as in other countries. China and India are not affected so badly. Only certain sectors like auto, real estate, retail, finance have been affected. In the case of advertising, we have to be with our global agency so cost cutting for a few things like economy travel has to be done.

How important is copywriting in ads these days?
Now it is all about conveying an idea. There are many more mediums. Now one writes for television commercials and other mediums, the job has changed and copy writers have to be good story tellers. Copy is written in many languages and it has changed a lot. We are in a new age, thinking era so the more you are lateral thinker, the better it is.

We are doing B to C (business to consumers). An advanced cell phone features should be explained in the language of a six-yr-old, that's where the skill of the copywriter comes in.

Is one born creative or can one become creative?
All of us are creative. All of us do the same activity when we are children, we play we sing, we write poetry, we dance. Some children have a special interest. And one must continue to do what one likes, if you write more and more, you can become a Gulzar if you continue to play you will become Sachin.

What was that one special interest that you developed?
I was a very good painter, and interested in science and technology and also did my diploma in painting. I used art and science together.

I think some people get extra credit because they are involved in a glamorous profession.

But creativity is all around us.

Which are your favourite ads?
Of our own agency, I like Thums Up, HDFC Standard Life Insurance, McDonald and overall I like the Happydent ad, Lead India and Vodafone.