Leading ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, who has created a number of noteworthy commercials for many big brands including Pepsi, Rasna and Maggi Noodles, believes that today, advertising incorporates a certain commentary on society. He also states that big brands’ heavy reliance on celebrities for ad campaigns is an easy “shortcut” to visibility.
Advertising in the past could not get into social commentary. It has become very relevant because people are concerned about the way in which our society is heading.
Every small brand that has enough money feels that they need a shortcut to visibility... (That’s why) they use a celebrity. Some use them well, others use them badly. People forget that you are hiring a celebrity to endorse a brand, not the other way around.
Tanmay Bhat’s Brand Image Has Taken a Beating
On being asked about his opinion on comedian Tanmay Bhat’s infamous Snpachat video on cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar, Kakkar stated that he does not consider it a joke anymore and talked about the comedian’s brand image.
It is not a joke any more... When jokes are a basic truth, the element of the truth is lampooned. So, when a joke is in bad taste, is vicious and it attacks somebody for something which is not necessarily true, the people who listen to it do not necessarily agree with it. What Tanmay doesn’t realise is that his brand image has taken a massive beating.
On Creating Fearless Entrepreneurs and Laughing at Ourselves
Prahlad Kakkar has also ventured into the field of education with the Prahlad Kakkar School of Branding & Entrepreneurship. The programme focuses on practical training with an aim to create the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The motto of the school is ‘Beyond fear’. His idea is to put students through a series of challenging activities to instil in them skills that allow them to think and operate, bearing the motto of the school in mind.
We as a nation have lost our sense of humour, we have become super sensitive. We look very stupid. We are heading in a strange direction. The more insecure we get as a community, the more we forget to laugh at ourselves. The jokes will go underground, but they will still be there. Humour only thrives when you resent it. It dies when you stop resenting it.
Distinguish Between Brand and Ambassador
The creator of Pepsi’s Mera Number Kab Aayega brand campaign, Prahlad Kakkar stressed on the importance of creating a distinction between the brand ambassador and the brand.
People who are unguided can get conned by ads because they are a very convenient short cut to heavy billing... (The brand should) remember that the brand ambassador plays second fiddle and the brand comes first. You have to write a very clever script. The brand ambassador is not the brand.
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