New Delhi | 27 May: Mmm, creativity! Let’s take a moment and think about how to define creativity. Are you a little awestruck about defining the subject? Worry not, defining creativity may make you stuck for a long time but there are some ads that have really nuanced the real meaning of creativity and stand out as the beacon of creativeness. While advertisements are generally a promotion of a product, these ads stand out in the line, as, along with product promotion, they also forward the values, awareness and experiences. These ads, with their innovative concepts and subtle storytelling, deserve a spotlight for their ability to engage audiences while staying away from the limelight. Let’s take a moment to appreciate these heroes of the Indian advertising world and finally learn some successful and creative ad strategies.
TATA’s Dipper – A Condom Ad
We bet you all have noticed the tagline ‘Use Dipper At Night’ on trucks once in your lifetime. This message on 6 million trucks inspired TATA to create a new condom brand named ‘Dipper’ to promote safe sex among Indian truck drivers across the second-largest roadway in the world where the journey often gets lonely. Research earlier had found that 2 million truck drivers visit sex workers which somehow increased the transmission of STDs. To stop this, TATA Motors launched their condom brand ‘Dipper’ to promote AIDS awareness in remote locations where no media or internet could reach. Interestingly, without spending any money and without the help of any media, this awareness was successful. Condoms were manufactured by HLL Life Care Limited (India’s leading contraceptive provider) and distributed by TCI foundation at health clinics, service centres, highway eateries, petrol pumps and convenience stores in a condom wallet.
Hindustan Unilever Limited – Save Water Programme
Unlike TATA, this advertisement was solely based on the purpose of creating awareness. It was a video ad that stated the condition of the water crisis in a common village in India. The woman in an ad states that “one day, someone brought shower in our village, and in few moments only, around half of the villagers peacefully drank water, but in a city, someone was still bathing”, which highlights the importance of water and leave a deep impression on us about how blessed an urban man is and how they don’t really realise the value and importance of water.
Amul – Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul Girl
Amul’s advertisements featuring the Amul girl have been a staple of Indian pop culture for decades. With witty one-liners and topical references, these ads consistently capture the nation’s attention. While everybody knows the Amul Girl only a few people know that Amul Girl was the result of competing with Polson Butter’s girl. Over time, the Amul Girl Campaign was a huge success and still captivates people’s attention. The “Utterly Butterly Delicious” campaign, in particular, highlighted the rich taste and quality of Amul butter while also offering a dose of humour and nostalgia.
Dove – Let’s Break the Rules of Beauty
Dove is renowned for appreciating diverse standards of beauty in the women’s industry and their advertisement is one of the means through which they communicate their values. Dove’s ad campaign, “Dove – Let’s Break the Rules of Beauty,” is a revolutionary initiative aimed at challenging societal norms and redefining beauty standards. Through powerful storytelling and thought-provoking imagery, Dove encourages people to reject narrow beauty ideals. By showcasing real people with real stories, Dove inspires viewers to celebrate their individuality and recognize the beauty within themselves and others.
What To Learn From These Campaigns?
Social Responsibility – TATA’s Dipper campaign highlights the importance of companies engaging in initiatives that serve the community and promote public health.
Creativity in Messaging – TATA’s Dipper campaign also showcases the power of creative messaging. By utilizing the familiar sight of truck messages and turning it into a condom brand tagline, the campaign effectively captured the attention and conveyed its message most effectively. Advertisement agencies can integrate a similar approach in their campaigns.
Targeted Outreach – The distribution strategy for Dipper condoms involved reaching remote locations where traditional media couldn’t penetrate. This underscores the mindfulness of the team in approaching the target audience.
Emotional Appeal – Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Save Water Programme leveraged emotional appeal to raise awareness about water scarcity. The ad’s narrative effectively evoked empathy and highlighted the stark contrast between urban and rural water access, prompting viewers to reflect on their own consumption habits which shows emotional appeal works relevantly in such cases.
Cultural Relevance – Amul’s campaigns, particularly the Amul Girl series, demonstrate the value of cultural relevance and staying attuned to current events, means one should be mindful of the current events and competitions on-going to counter the competitor.
Consistency and Longevity – yes, it’s true that change is needed, but, sometimes, consistency of neutral campaigns can help to create brand image and brand awareness. Amul’s success with the Amul Girl campaign over decades emphasizes the importance of consistency and longevity in advertising.
Empowerment and Diversity – Dove’s campaign focuses on empowerment and diversity, challenging conventional beauty standards. This highlights the importance of aligning advertising with broader societal values, such as inclusivity and self-acceptance, to resonate with consumers on a deeper level and integrating such an approach nowadays can turn beneficial, as society and societal mindsets are evolving.
