MadMen of India
by Bernard Ablola
Sep 23, 2009 India 2009, MBA
One of my favorite company visits was our MBA trip to Lowe Lintas, India’s biggest ad agency in the country. They are responsible for most of the major brand name commercials in India. This visit reminded me of an episode of AMC’s award winning show MadMen, where Don Draper, the creative director of Sterling Cooper ad agency, calmly pitches to his clients an amazging story.
You don’t know who you are talking to…
In a country of 1.1 billion people, 28 states, 6 union territories, 14 official languages and 5 main religions; How do you strike a conversation with everyone? Lowe Lintas has been successful. They successfully tell stories that cuts through all caste, income and generational issues. The message must be dig deep into what the people are feeling. It must reach an emotional level.
This one of my favorite company visits because it touches on an aspect I seldom notice in online advertising, touching the emotional factor. As marketers we should consistently ask ourselves how can we reach our customers by appealing to their everyday needs. What are they thinking and going through? What is the public feeling? What is the public sentiment? Is there a political, social or religious cloud in the air that no one is addressing? What is the big elephant in the room?
If we can address these concerns without offending or alienating anyone and can uplift our customers in the process, our messages will cut through the clutter.
Attached is a commercial that addresses cultural norms and is successful in integrating the products.
Enjoy,
Bernard
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