It was the time of the Great Indian Sale, or it was the Big Billion Day and there were so many offers. I HAD TO BUY STUFF!
How many of us have surrendered to the greatness (or call it the mastery) of advertising? You cannot remember the last time you resisted such offers, right? Well, that’s the job of advertising. It persuades you to buy stuff. Like the great Tyler Durden quoted in the classic cult movie, Fight Club – Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy sh*t we don’t need… … We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won’t. We’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very p*ssed off.
The statement was rather infuriating or depressing in a way, considering the position in which the character was, in that particular scene. Nevertheless, the importance of advertising cannot be overlooked.
The Millennials vs. The Gen Xers
On a serious note, advertising can change your life and your lifestyle. This statement is no advertising. A country that once believed that only the rich could afford products like a smart TV or a luxury car or a home for that matter, now has every seller chasing after everyone – thanks to advertising.
For instance, people born between the 1950s to 1980s had this proud feeling of saving money for decades and finally buying a plot. They saw the home being constructed brick by brick. Today, millennials value time more than money. They’d rather spend a hundred bucks more to reach home on time rather than saving it and walking home as our fathers did. That’s the reason millennials are labelled as spendthrifts. The millennials won’t mind spending lavishly on going on a vacation or buying a car or redecorating their home. So, if you think advertising didn’t affect the Gen Xers, you’re probably wrong. Advertising during their period did serve a different purpose as compared to advertising today.
Classic or Modern: Advertising is Advertising?
There’s no doubt that advertising has evolved over the years. Some might argue that the purpose of advertising is still the same – to sell or endorse products or services. Perhaps, some might even go to an extent claiming that advertising has transformed into hard-selling these days. Well, there’s a twist in the plot. Brands are considering rowing their boats the other way round.
The classic advertising used to be all about endorsing the product or the service based on its functionalities, highlighting its features and benefits. Take, for example, the ads of Rin, Colgate, or Brylcreem. They certainly evolved from using unknown models in the commercials to using Hindi movie stars. But, they didn’t deviate from their purpose. So, has modern advertising deviated from its purpose? That’s a NO again!
The modern advertising has evolved into a new entity altogether. The advertisements today emphasize having a story in the 30 seconds TV commercials.
The name, KV Shridhar might be echoing all over the advertising fraternity popularly as KV Pops. He’s been a Copywriter, an ad guru, and not-so-recently, he’s authored a book titled 30 Second Thrillers that covers the Behind The Scenes of every loved Indian ad from Doordarshan days’ “Chal Meri Luna” till the contemporary “AirTel Smartphone” ads.
Advertising has definitely outgrown itself. It has become more than just advertising. Today, it’s all about storytelling.
At 3 Dots Design, we advertise to narrate the brand story to the audience who are curious to know about the brand, more than buying it in the first place. Being an idea-centric organization is what defines us from the rest. We are proud to work with brands that believe in the kind of storytelling that’s woven by the wordsmiths here. Advertising to us certainly means rekindling the brand’s inner chakras.