When the government paves the way for brand participation
We are all well aware that the current and former governments of the country have always focused on the social development of the country. In a country with too much population, with literacy, electricity and sanitation yet to permeate many corners, this has not always been an easy job.
Governments have had to resort to catchy slogans and advertisements to make the message resonate with the masses. With economic liberalization and greater access to technology, the government has had to change its approach. While the intent remains the same, the methods used to spread it fall short.
The idea of the cause commercial is to make sure that people take some kind of action without directly asking them to do so.
By paying close attention to recent trends, you can see that the government itself has created a category for brands. The category has been created so that brands can pave their way into people’s awareness while retaining their awareness and that of the audience.
We have listed some ads that have captured the attention of the audience through a social cause and at the same time promote your product.
Swacch Bharat and Hindustan Unilever Limited
The state of sanitation in India is well known. As of 2011, around 31% of rural households do not have access to sanitary facilities. Furthermore, the lack of proper health education means that people do not follow proper hygiene habits and therefore get sick frequently. One of these garments includes not washing your hands with soap after attending to your business.
As part of the government’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, Hindustan Unilever released their catchy Haath, Munh aur Bum, Bimari Hogi Kam. With children, the campaign focused on encouraging adults and everyone around them to start using soaps. Only then can they maintain adequate health. The Swachh Abhiyan, Swachh Aadat generated a lot of interest among the audience and at the same time promoted their own handwashing.
India Digital and Samsung
Samsung might have been explosive news for some time due to the phones malfunctioning. But in India, it used its technology to further the cause of Digital India. Your #SapneHueBade has your heart and message in the right place. Instead of an urban center, Samsung is promoting itself in rural areas.
The commercial, with a young protagonist, deals with the use of digital advances to improve education. And then use that education to give back to the community. The progress of one well-intentioned individual implies the progress of many.
Cashless Economy and PayTM
Since November 2016, the buzzword in India has been demonetization. The first brand to take advantage of this was PayTm, the mobile wallet company. A window of opportunity opened for this company as the focus shifted away from anti-corruption towards a cashless economy.
Promoting his product while praising the move were the ads he released after demonetization. They kept the commercials simple: using PayTm is simple. #PayTm karo started trending and with more merchants and consumers downloading the app every minute, the trend isn’t stopping anytime soon.
It should be noted that the governments prior to 2014 were based on Nehruvian socialism. But the current economic setup is extremely capitalist, opening doors for private companies to make their presence felt in people’s lives without being too pushy.
With the encouragement provided by the government, the brand’s advertisements are almost like ready-to-eat packaged meals. They just need to incorporate the government message along with their product and viola! A social cause campaign is born.
Conversations are not limited to TVCs. If the commercial is good enough, lots of people are talking about it on Facebook. Hashtags (#) trending on Twitter. Furthermore, this blitzkrieg of commercials is not just limited to social media. The government, as well as brands, recruit celebrity ambassadors to bring even more depth to the message. The popularity cycle continues.
The marketing of the PS Cause brand dates back to Tata Tea. One of his Jaago Re campaigns revolved around asking people to vote on Election Day.
That cause marketing shows no sign of stopping. We just hope that no one suffers from brand dilution.