Advertisements Vs Audience

PS Bali

A wise man has rightly said that general public has very short memory and they forget things very often. Following the quote, several Advertising companies in the race of competition to make space for their product in the market are hammering every possible nail to get identified. Such advertising companies believe in making strong influence in the market, either by hook or by crook, where latter rules.

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering.

With the emergence of media, world was believed to be fashioned up into a global village, with information of the world at the press of button, but as an old saying goes that ‘excess of every thing is bad’, same happened with the popularity of the media, where several corporate houses in connivance of advertising companies made it a way to earn money by misleading the common audience.

For instance in 2007-2008, Cricket superstar and one of the best fast bowlers in the history of cricket, Wasim Akram came up with an advertisement on Indian television, while endorsing Diabetes check machine, “Accu-Check”, where he played a role of brand ambassador by involving audience with himself by being a diabetic patient.

It gained huge response from people and no doubt it is still great in use, for years Akram was found saying that after use of Accu-Check, he was able to take sugar free chocolates and other sweet items, having no sugar content.

But, the recent advertisement of Wasim Akram, where he is endorsing Chocolate KitKat, a product of Nestle, one of the most selling products in India, has contradicted his erstwhile brand (Accu-Check).

Earlier, Akram claimed that he consumes only sugar free chocolates, but as far as my knowledge is concerned, KitKat has no such product still available in market. Till date very few chocolate companies are offering sugar free product including Heilemann Dark Chocolate Marzipan Bar, DeBron Chocolate Wafers, Woodies Wafer Bars and product of like.

I mean how could a man, who year back was a brand ambassador of anti-sugar product, came up with such a product which carries maximum percentage of calories. May be I am wrong here, but statistics revealed the same and showing Mr Akram taking chocolate is something that pinched me most, as a patient of diabetes, one should refrain such products, but may be Accu-Check has improved diabetes of Mr Akram, who knows.

What can I call this, a professionalism on the part of Mr Akram or faking on the part of advertising companies, who are making fool of public, whatever it would be but to some extend advertising companies are running their monopoly by making celebrities to be their puppet and are using every possible way to reach out public.

This trend among advertising companies is usual, on the name of creativity and innovation they befool public. The advertisement of Akshay Kumar, endorsing ‘Thums-up’, where he jumps from mountains, beneath the water, trespassing speedy vehicles and fiddling with wild animals is again offensive, as it prompts youth to act like him. There are number of advertisements, which make fool of audiences and one which is striking my mind is that of NIRMA, in which a lady walking in the market is shown making water splashes standstill by rebuking water not to splash over her, which again seems insane, but it is enough for advertisers. These advertisers keep on creating new ideas, without bothering about, what they call passive audience.