Get it right- Executing a ‘Socially inclined’ campaign

In the recent times there have been a slew of brands that are advertising their products through socially inclined campaigns. One will remember the Lifebouy advertisement during the Kumbh Mela in India where chappati’s were stamped with the lettering Lifebouy se Haath Dhoya Kya (have you washed your hands with Lifebouy?), the recent advertisement by Coke that promises to connect the ancient and sworn enemies India and Pakistan by ‘Sharing a Coke’ and the ‘Real beauty sketches’ campaign by Dove.

Other than the fantastic media attention for each of these campaigns, they have also achieved amazing success in the digital world. The number of Youtube views for the Coke ad was well over 1.3 million, while Dove garnered about 5.4 million views. While the intention behind these campaigns is to strive to achieve something ‘larger’ than the brand itself, the execution of some have left me thinking that it’s all a gimmick at the end of the day.

When a brand starts saying that it cares about something more than profit/ growth in every communication it generates, there is reason to believe otherwise. The social initiative bandwagon is beginning to succumb to the weight of the number of brands getting on to it. So unless the ad is carefully planned and executed, it begins to resemble marketing gimmicks.

To substantiate this thought, here are two campaigns that have the same underlying attempts- to reiterate what the brand stands for. While both incorporate social angles into their ads, to me one clearly wins over the other. And I believe that it’s the execution that sets them apart.

Dove, in its ‘Real beauty sketches’ video, suggested that every woman thinks she’s less beautiful than she actually is. The women chosen for the ‘beauty sketches’ campaign look fairly ordinary and randomly selected. However, I believe that the choice was careful and deliberate- the women looked like ordinary women but from a specific socio-economic class. And it was a well-crafted selection, for after all, Dove does target women of a particular socio-economic class. The message was aimed at the consumers and potential consumer of Dove. Given that it has consistently communicated on the ‘real women’ platform, this ad seemed poignant and yet not pretentious. It was an initiative that aimed at making women re-think their own appearance and believe that they may be worth more than they give themselves credit for. The best part of this campaign was that Dove didn't make claims (in this campaign) of being responsible for ‘beautifying women’. It simply illustrated a notion that existed in the minds of these women. It made these women the heroes (or heroines) of the piece- it was all about the women.

On the other hand we have the recent ads from Lifebouy. One in which the brand burnt, well- a brand (pardon the punning!), into the rotis that were served at the Kumbh Mela in India. They then developed a commercial, in which a man walks on his hands from his house to a temple, because his son turned 5. The underlying social message in both instances was that maintaining hygiene can have a positive effect on health. The message is simple enough, and true. However, what irks me is the brand’s supercilious approach. It seems to me that the brand is trying to say – Lifebouy saves lives, which is a tall claim to make. It is also annoying to see that the brand taps so much into drama and the emotional nature of Indians. It’s not that I don’t know about people offering ‘Angapradakshanam’ or walk on their hands as a ‘thank you’ to the almighty. It’s just that those are not things that I’d imagine are ‘ad-worthy’. What is also interesting is that earlier, Lifebouy’s ads communicated the exact same message – the importance of hygienic practices. Often the ads featured children from the lower middle and middle class, beautifully mixing the social angle with the hygiene aspect. There weren't any histrionics or overly emotional contexts. This, to me is far more effective and far less irksome in nature! Also, the earlier ads made the consumer the protagonist- Lifebouy only enabled the protagonist and was not the hero itself. The recent campaigns focus on making the brand the central character and the consumer becomes just a beneficiary.

Call me old school, but I still hold the belief that ‘Customer is king’. Hence, a brand communication that makes the consumer the hero resonates with me far better than one that proclaims itself the hero! Interestingly enough, both these brands come from the same stable- Unilever.

So my point is, by all means join the ‘social initiative/ angle endorsed by brands’ bandwagon. However, execution is of paramount importance. Over-doing it and harping on the overly sentimental nature of your TG, or making yourself the protagonist of the piece, may not necessarily be appreciated and may in fact make one seem shallow! Ultimately, every consumer knows that the message the brand seeks to communicate is –‘Use me because I have shown you that I can help make you a winner’.