#CMCOpinions

Charmy Chawla, our PG IMAC student throws light on how the language in advertising is seeing a change and challenging the mindsets of the audiences.

Judging a person in India, is usually based on their sex, color, religion, caste and sadly even on fluency of English. Girls cannot drive well, boys do not cry, girl should know cooking, boy need to go out and work are examples of few beliefs that are inveterate among Indian society. Prejudices seem to govern not only the thinking but the way of living in the society too. Its easily forgotten that every person is unique in his/her own way and eventually ends up affecting the growth of the country.

With the help of education and awareness, the bubble of stereotypes has how begun to burst. One such influential medium that leads to breaking of these myths in the society is ‘Media’. The tool of technology has empowered everyone with its reach and ease of use. Advertising and technology combined have developed into a powerful form of story- telling. The trends are seeing a constant change and adapting to the patterns of transforming mindsets. This has resulted in a change in the way the brands now tell their tales. Agencies today, have to match up to the consumer expectations not only in terms of the products or services that they sell but also how they sell it and the emotional connotation of their messages.

Copywrites and ad film makers are approaching the narrative in a bold manner and breaking the stereotypes that exist in the society. Brands rope in the people who can place their product in the market in such a way that it strikes a chord with the emotions of the audience and is not merely informative. Creativity and Communication is what spells challenge for the advertisers. However, some have managed to crack the code and create their niche.

Titan Raga – A woman oriented brand that has always catered to emotional empowerment through its series of campaigns.

#BreakTheBias

#MomByChoice

#HerLifeHerChoices

All the three campaigns show the other side of coin. #BreakTheBias portrays that a women’s success cannot be judged by her looks but by her potential. #MomByChoice displays that being a mother is not the end of women’s life; it is a new beginning, women can pursue her dreams and wishes even after being mother. #HerLifeHerChoices gives women freedom to make her career choice; breaks the barrier that women is meant to be at home.

Ariel – This brand broke the thought ideology of women doing household chores and initiated a change by kick starting the of distributing the Share the Load campaign

#ShareTheLoad

The detergent brand spoke out and loud, about how it’s time to walk away from piling on the house work upon the ladies of the house and reach out and be of help instead.

Dove

This brand aimed at rising from the stigma of visual beauty and tapping into the beauty within with its campaign.

#ChangeTheRhyme

The campaign picks one of the most memorable rhymes of childhood – Chubby Cheeks and toys around with the idea of beauty not being merely a concept but the essence of being who you truly are. Discarding the societal logic of beauty being associated with how one looks, a great bunch of sportswomen is portrayed adorning themselves with the sweat, toil, and dirt of sports activities and still emerging beautifully; thereby signifying that beauty doesn’t come with rules.

Star Plus

Star Plus Channel tried to break gender stereotypes through its campaign.

#NayiSoch

The campaign shows a new light to the ancient habit of patterned thinking that the progress in households only happens due to the boys. The ad focuses on how the practice of naming the shop ‘XYZ and sons’ has changed to ‘ XYZ and daughters’; reflecting that why should success be the attribute directed towards men and not women.

These are some examples of how the concept and method of communication are undergoing a change in the field of advertising. Such brand campaigns create a positive atmosphere for the brand to not only deliver but create a healthy relationship with the customers. The campaigns have stirred conversations across several mediums and hold a strong brand recall value.

Picking subjects that need a voice in today’s society, advertising is placing the blocks to break the stereotypes and cast a fresh wave of thoughts. It can be rightly said that advertising has moved from advocacy to challenging the audience mindset.