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“We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines that think.” - Antonio Damasio

The marketing world has been hooked on emotions for decades. We want to elicit, uncover, understand and tap into emotions. Goosebumps, sadvertising, euphoric and funny are all parts of our standard evaluation kit. The reliance on emotional response as a primary mover has steadily grown.

This was not always the case. Marketers used to focus on persuading consumers by emphasising their product's rational and functional benefits. Look at advertising from the early to mid-twentieth century and you will see product features being highlighted. The argument of ‘emotional vs rational’ is as valid as marketing being ‘art or science’. It remains inconclusive.

Advances in science and innovation have made differentiation based solely on innate product superiority more and more difficult. Between any two brands of refrigerators, air-conditioners, hairdryers, photocopiers or soup there are seldom huge and irrecoverable gaps. You cannot become five times superior to your nearest competitor on product proposition. Therefore, the only place that a 5X value jump is possible to create is in the head. That is the power and beauty of emotion in the value equation that it does not follow any laws of physics or economics. The more illogical the emotion the more it moves.

The problem with emotion as a marketing lever is that you can’t wish it to happen! The emotional magic has always some serendipity in how it arrives and gets associated with a brand.

The word emotion and motivation are of the same origin. The Latin word ‘movere’ which means ‘to move’. Hence an emotion, in the marketing sense, is a viable emotion only when it moves you. The proof of the emotional pudding lies in the ensuing action.

Truly, emotions have interrupt conveyor powers that can jump over our logical faculties. When there is lack of information or excess information; when we have conflicting, equally viable logical courses of action, when we cannot tell between the real and the false: and all such times emotion trumps everything else.

In fact, there are many confident observers who claim that most decisions we make are emotional decisions which we rationalise post-facto. In other words we apply logic to justify what was essentially an emotional reaction. Our memory actively conspires in making this happen. Logic does not have a connection with our bodily being. But emotion has a direct and intertwined existence with our physical and sensory being. The great psychologist William James, in 1884, wrote an article “what is an emotion?” in which he theorised that emotions start as physical bodily experiences which are interpreted in the brain and then perceived as emotions. Incidentally, this is exactly the profound realisation that the Buddha had and substantively makes up the present practice of Vipasanna meditation.
<blockquote>You may vividly recall the bottle of Scotch you opened to celebrate your first promotion but may forget what breakfast you ate yesterday. Deeply felt emotions cement memory spaces.</blockquote>
Antonio Damasio,in his book, ‘Self Comes to Mind’, posits the idea that consciousness and even our sense of selves is nothing but an interaction of the brain and body. He believes emotions that come from the body form the very foundation upon which our consciousness is built. Therefore, you cannot have consciousness without feelings. To think, we must feel.

Damasio also distinguishes between "emotions" and "feelings," stating that emotions are the unconscious, physiological responses in your body, and feelings are the mental perceptions of those physiological changes.

Dr. Robert Heath writes in his book ‘Seducing the Subconscious’ how "subconscious associative conditioning" is the method by which these associations get connected to brands.

Every small encounter with a brand and things associated with it influences how we feel about it. The aggregate of these influences subtly but powerfully influence - in conjunction with our conscious minds - our purchasing decisions. Emotions also play tricks with memory. You may vividly recall the bottle of Scotch you opened to celebrate your first promotion but may forget what breakfast you ate yesterday. Deeply felt emotions cement memory spaces.

An experience is a takeaway impression formed as a result of an encounter with a brand. Experiences thus defined are memorable events that affect customers in an extremely personal way.

Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman in ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ has a slightly different vision. According to Kahneman, humans have an experiencing self and a remembering self. The experiencing self is fast, intuitive, unconscious and operational in the present moment. The remembering self is conscious, rational and slow, responsible for remembering and reflecting on experiences. The experiencing self lives the experience and fades quickly whereas the remembering self creates and maintains the story of that experience. The key insight of Kahneman's proposals is that when we make decisions we do so on the basis of the remembering self, not the experiencing self. And the memories of the remembering self are linked fundamentally to the beginning and the end of the experience, and also to its peak intensity, which can be either positive or negative. Therefore, if brands want to engage their customers and generate positive recommendations, they should pay special attention to the beginning and end moments of an experience, and to that memorable peak.

<blockquote>Brand desire is also an emotional, powerful, motivating force that pulls harder than mere needs and wants. Brand momentum that results in brand equity, pricing power and future cash flows always is about preserving the emotional aura.</blockquote>

Positive experience builds memory. Gratification leads to repeat desire. Imagine living your dream day – being where you want to be, living the life you dreamed of, having whatever you wish for - but with no memory of it after the end of the day. Would such an experience count as experience? Are we living experiences or creating memories? In that way, brand desire is also an emotional, powerful , motivating force that pulls harder than mere needs and wants. Brand momentum that results in brand equity, pricing power and future cash flows always is about preserving the emotional aura. It is in the rarest of cases that brands get destroyed from the outside when consumers reject them. It is almost always the case that consumers move on because the brand stops being relevant. And emotional appeal has a large part to do with it. Of course, business managers logically rationalise such developments and name technical gaps, cost disadvantages, macroeconomic factors etc as reasons. However, the reality is that emotional relevance ceases before functional relevance.

Emotional apathy or intensity exists for any brand. But up the scale: whether the Barcelona football club, Elvis Presley or Laphroaig single malt scotch, brands can provoke emotions up to the levels of frenzy, devotion or ecstasy.

Emotional immersion can be rarely defined but occasionally felt. If you want to see a physical representation, think of Bernini’s sculpture of the ecstasy of Saint Theresa. It’s that kind of ‘beyond mind’ flow and connection that is the most powerful thing in our relation with a brand. But such brand relationships are rare. Therefore, it is fundamentally important that we aim at emotional responses geared to build habit rather than love.

Descartes said ‘Cogito, ergo sum ‘ - I think therefore I am.

Good that he was a philosopher, not a marketer.

Shubhranshu Singh is vice president, marketing - domestic &amp; IB, CVBU, Tata Motors. He writes Simply Speaking, a weekly column on Storyboard18. Views expressed are personal.

Simply Speaking: Emotion as a marketing lever - you can’t wish it to happen!

Lonely nights, going to the gym alone, no more cuddles, loss of appetite and the like, are some of the aftereffects of a break-up. But that’s for regular couples. For influencer couples there’s something else at stake - brand deals. 

These days brands are after influencer power couples. Whether married or just dating, brands are crazy about a good love story that can sell anything from flight tickets, resorts and clothes to condoms and pension plans.

Influencer couples are roped in by brands across categories for double the reach, double the engagement and double brand recall. More often than not having an influencer's significant other half is a deal sweetener when it comes to compensation. The not-so-sweet part is the break-up that also entails losing deals, lower compensation based on individual brand value and sometimes even a short-term dip in overall brand value and popularity.

The worst case scenario is when a couple share a handle. The handle automatically loses the reach and fanbase, and brands that have engaged the duo based on the popularity of the page also find themselves in a tight spot. 

What does 'moving on' entail for influencer couples?

“When you are opening doors to something as personal as your relationship with your partner you should also be open to the downsides of it,” says 23-year-old content creator and influencer Paritosh Anand.

Anand, who has over forty-two thousand followers on Instagram, says when brands approach a couple for a pilot project the chances of getting a retainer deal are better.

But it's tricky. Because no one knows what the future holds.

Anand recalls the time when a travel brand approached him and his partner. “We were creating a lot of content together and also taking up collaboration projects. This is when the travel brand approached us for a partnership. Unfortunately though before we could start work on the project we ended the relationship,” Anand recollects.

The two creators then approached the brand, told them about the split and turned down the offer. The story doesn’t end there though. “A couple of months later the brand initiated conversations again with me and we worked out a fresh contract with me as an independent creator,” he tells us.

So how do influencer couples split-proof their personal brands and clout?

“Creating an independent brand is very important,” says food, travel and lifestyle creator Kuljyoti Dhingra. With over three lakh followers on Instagram, Dhingra knows the ropes well.

“There is always a financial loss and loss in brand value that is involved when influencer couples break up but that is short term. However, sometimes one person gets more sympathy than the other and this prevents their brand value from seeing any dip,” she says.

According to Dhingra, even when the relationship is going strong, both partners who endorse brands should be able to establish strong individual brands. “This helps them get better deals when they are together for the impact they can create and also jump back in the endorsement and collaboration scene easily if and when they part ways,” she adds.

Influencer couples charge anywhere between Rs3 lakh and Rs25 lakh for collaborations depending on their following, brand value and engagement rate.

What do they bring to the table for the brand? 

“The core idea for influencer engagement is relatability and this is exactly what couples who are content creators bring on board. Sometimes the brand they create content for is in sync with their image," says Ankur Pujari, co-founder and growth lead at digital agency Hyper Connect Asia.

For instance, hotel chains often work with lifestyle and travel creators who are couples. But sometimes brands collaborate just for a duo’s popularity. "We have seen tech brands employing couples with lifestyle content who just put up a post with a video of banter. All of this works,” says Pujari. 

Brands have noticed an immediate spike in engagement with influencer couples on board. Tejas Chavan, director at Viveda Wellness says it's about amplification of reach. “When we put up posts of Bipasha Basu and her husband Karan Singh Grover or Ritesh and Genelia and many others, we have seen our social engagements go through the roof,” Chavan says. According to him, these posts are never about conversions but more about creating a buzz. 

<blockquote>“The business playbook is just the same for creators in partnership. At the founding of any startup, you would draw out ownership stakes and key responsibilities. Ideally one could also have a business "prenup" exit clause as well to dictate what would happen in the instance a partnership has reached its conclusion,” Pranay Swarup, Chtrbox </blockquote>

The influencer couple prenup

Pranay Swarup, CEO and founder at influencer management agency Chtrbox, says it is easier to understand the pros and cons of being an influencer couple if we treat them as “talented entrepreneurs starting a startup or a business".

“The business playbook is just the same for creators in partnership. At the founding of any startup, you would draw out ownership stakes and key responsibilities. Ideally one could also have a business "prenup" exit clause as well to dictate what would happen in the instance a partnership has reached its conclusion,” he says.

According to Swarup as with any business, it's important to have sound legal advice and mentorship at the start and through the business journey. Chtrbox, for instance, provides legal help and business advice as an added service and support.

Fake it?

Sometimes, however, the arrangement is not as simple, especially when deals are too big or too important to be just abandoned mid-way. It may involve deep financial loss, an image crisis and relationships with big brands going south.

‘Faking it’ is a common practice in such cases. Influencer couples sometimes pretend to be together long after they’ve parted ways to get through a brand deal.

“Why not. There is nothing wrong in keeping the news under wraps for professional reasons. Movie stars do it, politicians do it and so should influencers to prevent contract violation and financial loss, and fulfill commitments as professionals,” says the founder of an influencer management agency. 

The audience plays along till the break-up is made public. While there is legal binding for couples to continue with endorsement deals even after a break-up, they continue the campaign till the time they have finished their part of the commitment to avoid re-negotiation with brands.

Individual contracts

Signing individual contracts is one way to prevent heartbreak from breaking deals. “The moment you sign individual contracts the concept of joint falls away,” says Chandrima Mitra, Partner, DSK Legal.

“Contracts can be individually signed with each party having their individual terms. While the contracts may mention that the campaign will be shot with XYZ but since they are individual contracts so they are separately enforceable to the extent applicable,” she tells Storyboard18.

Individual contracts are great. What is even greater is 'a marriage', as per an agency head. 

Internationally, a lot of unmarried couples start a page together and are employed by brands as a team. However, India is still in a nascent stage when it comes to unmarried couples.

Though the likes of Tejaswi Prakash and Karan Kundrra, Komal Pandey and Siddharth Batra are working with a lot of brands together, they are still outnumbered by a long list of married influencer couples like Kusha Kapila and Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia, Suyash Rai and Kishwer Merchant, Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan, Ishita Dutta and Vatsal Seth, and many others.

While brands are not exactly the pushy relatives who have reservations about unmarried couples, they do look for stability along with reach and credibility when it comes to engaging couples. It is tough to overlook the disparity in the number of married versus dating couples in the content ecosystem in India which sometimes brings us back to the eternal question of ‘ek chutki sindoor’.

The big break-up: What happens when influencer couples split?

“We will have another incremental billion dollars in the next three years for the home-grown billion dollar brand Thums Ups,” says Arnab Roy, vice president and head of marketing, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia to Storyboard18’s Shibani Gharat. He also talks about the brand’s new advertising campaign #HarHaathToofan.

<iframe title="Coca Cola's Arnab Roy On Thums Up New Campaign 'Har Haath Toofan' | Storyboard 18 | CNBC-TV18" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fXe4to9HL4Q" width="853" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Coca-Cola's Arnab Roy on Thums Up’s new ad campaign #HarHaathToofan

Coincidentally, the news of India’s total medal tally at the recent Commonwealth Games 2022 came to me just a few minutes after I drove past the Olympic Bhawan in New Delhi.

As I answered my phone, the voice on the other end was brimming with excitement. It was my assistant who has been watching the live broadcast of the CWG since the opening ceremony. “Sir, we won 61 medals this time. Shooting and archery wasn’t there otherwise we would’ve got 10-15 more easily”, he said.

Another article in a leading publication read - Neeraj Chopra’s late withdrawal from the CWG 2022 definitely left India one medal short.

I often wonder why we always find some reason to dig a gap between our team members' performances and our own expectations. Why can’t we simply acknowledge the achievements and feel proud and wonderful about it, huh?
<blockquote>The problem is not the limitation of possibilities in India for these glorious victors, but a form of illegitimate power assigned to several brand managers across India who make choices based on their personal preferences.</blockquote>
It doesn’t matter how many we won, but how well we won them.

Australia and England have 5 times more total medals won than India since the inception of the Commonwealth Games in 1930. Canada has 3 times more. But that does not mean we are not good enough. One has to understand the significant difference in the quality of training and infrastructure available to Indian athletes versus those who come from the top 3 ranking nations. There is no doubt things have gotten better over the years, but it’s still a long way to go before we can compare an apple to an apple.

Winning medals is a matter of great pride for any nation and India is no different. It was wonderful to see athletes from some of the remotest towns of India competing at an international stage with such determination and confidence. This is the window that young India wants to glance through. A window that promises immense opportunities for those who are aspiring and gearing up to win medals for India in the future.

In 2007, when a young Team India under the leadership of first-time captain MS Dhoni won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup tournament, it changed the game of cricket in India, forever. CWG medals have a similar impact in India’s development across sports and it will only further augment the overall value proposition of our nation’s competitiveness on the world stage.

Having said that, the question we should be asking is what do the medals mean for our athletes beyond just a great sense of achievement and national pride?

It means many things. But very importantly, it triggers a potential acceleration in their financial earnings which they truly deserve. Although, the reality up until today is that only a few actually experience it.

So this is typically what happens:

Whenever we start winning at tournaments like the CWG, the media covers it widely (thankfully). We see acknowledgements flowing in from top politicians and celebrities on social media. This is when most of India learns about the majority of these athletes for the first time - be it Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Aching Sehuli, Murali Sreeshankar, Sonalben Patel. Then we all start reposting and retweeting to express our continued support. And while all this is happening, brand managers across many companies start evaluating these winners for a potential engagement or more.

Sadly, it’s usually short-lived, with only a handful of athletes eventually finding good opportunities with these brands. Further, some end up engaging with regional brands where the revenue potential is limited. And a majority are left without any opportunity, despite winning a medal for India.

It does sound pathetic, but the problem is not the limitation of possibilities in India for these glorious victors, but a form of illegitimate power assigned to several brand managers across India who make choices based on their personal preferences. I know of some who have refused choosing medalists in the past just because of their skin colour. This has been a problem in India for decades.

Without giving away any names, I have had enquiries from some marketing heads in the past few days who are only keen to engage with gold medal winners from certain sports/games. “Why?” I ask. Haven’t the silver and bronze medal winners brought us the same sense of pride like the gold did?

The disparity in choices is blatant, and this must change.

I strongly believe all our medal winners must find similar opportunities with brands once they come back home. The younger brands are far more open for such engagements today. And the good thing is they are willing to look beyond cricket which is certainly a welcome move.

No one had imagined PV Sindhu would become the highest paid women athlete in India unless support came in from various brands. The media had a huge role to play as well. I am hopeful that this time around, the media would support all of them ‘equally’ and we can get to see Nikhat, Jeremy, Priyanka and all others in TV ads and on billboards across the nation.

As you read this, my team is already discussing endorsement opportunities for four of our CWG 2022 winners. And guess what, none of them are gold winners.

The author is the Founder and CEO of One One Six Network Limited, an investor-backed sports and entertainment company based in the UK, with operations in India and the Middle East.

CWG 2022: Brands must look beyond colour and number of medals

Brands have always been in love with athletes winning medals at global platforms. The list of these athletes could now include esport players. The Indian DOTA 2 team that won a bronze medal at the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship this week, will attract brands to esports like never before, say industry executives.

30-year-old Moin Ejaz who is the DOTA 2 team captain has seen his follower numbers on social media go up after the win. Brands like Red Bull and AMD are already in touch with the team for collaborations. Ejaz will now start a team page for social platforms and also live stream their games for maximum engagement and brand partnership opportunities.

Lokesh Suji, Director of Esports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation, says, “Brands should start looking at esports the way they look at traditional sports. We are focusing on training the players for other important tournaments and it is a great opportunity for brands to come forward and be a part of the training programmes and build activations around it."

The win will also help in pushing the overall perspective about gaming leading to brands taking notice of the opportunity in the space.

A latest EY report says as esports grows popular amongst youth and the affluent, advertisers and agencies are expected to increasingly use esports tournament viewership to gain reach and engagement with the audience, growing over 4x to Rs 6.5 billion by FY25.

Players in the category are beginning to see brand interest from multiple categories. Indian game streamer Rooter, for instance, is now focusing on monetization and has already clocked an 83% growth in revenue between Q1 and Q2.

Piyush Kumar, founder and CEO at Rooter Sports Technologies says it is a big year for the space from the brand perceptive.

“Brands are taking notice of the space and realizing its potential. At Rooter, we have an array of brands working with us including the likes of Flipkart, HP, TVS Sports and many others. We are onboarding three to four brands every month,” he tells Storyboard18.

The EY report also says that 1.5 million players, 85 million viewers, 20+ broadcasters and several brands, organizers and publishers will collectively define the esports market in India by FY2025.

The industry is expected to grow at 46% CAGR over the next four years and streaming platforms will generate the largest chunk of esport revenues.

[caption id="attachment_1391" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="wp-image-1391 size-large" src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/62f606abb94f8-62f606abb94f9From-Right-to-Left-Abhishek-Yadav-Shubham-Goli-Ketan-Goyal-ESFI-Director-Mr-Lokesh-Suji-Vishal-Vernekar-Moin-Ejaz-Captain-2.jpg-1024x576.jpg" alt="From Right to Left - Abhishek Yadav, Shubham Goli, Ketan Goyal, ESFI Director Mr Lokesh Suji, Vishal Vernekar, Moin Ejaz " width="750" height="422" /> From Right to Left - Abhishek Yadav, Shubham Goli, Ketan Goyal, ESFI Director Mr Lokesh Suji, Vishal Vernekar, Moin Ejaz[/caption]

'Every ecosystem needs heroes'

Justin Shriram Keeling, founding general partner at Lumikai, one of India’s first gaming funds, says India's medal win at the Commonwealth Championships is a huge event for the domestic esports ecosystem.

He tells us, “We're already seeing a massive uptick in the vibrancy of India's esports viewership on platforms like Loco, which already hosts over 100,000 concurrent viewers on esports tournaments."

"Every ecosystem needs heroes, and we look forward to the success of Moin, Ketan, Abhishek, Shubhnam inspiring future domestic esports athletes to shoot for the moon on the global stage," he adds.

The industry is now preparing for the Asian Games next year.

Sagar Nair, co-founder and CEO, at Qlan, an AI-based networking app that connects gamers and esports enthusiasts, says the win at the Commonwealth Games opens up doors for brands to get into team sponsorships, athlete endorsements, product integrations and any other form of brand partnership that brands have been engaging with other sports and athletes."

He adds, "Asian Games will open the floodgates for brands to reach out to a massive GenZ consumer base."

How will India's first CWG medal in esports affect brands' interest?

Chat with IPG's Arun Kumar and Plum's Shankar Prasad and actor Ananya Pandey

﻿MAST
Tata Steel - Raahi
Agency: Wunderman Thompson

Mast &amp; Meh logoThemes of diversity and inclusion are always welcome in advertising campaigns when it’s purposeful and not just tokenism. This film shows the story of a transgender woman and her success in corporate life. Simple and realistic storytelling is the essence of this new campaign and sits very well with the overall agenda of ‘#KholoMannKeDwaar. This is one of the many initiatives taken up by the brand to meet its target of creating a 25 percent diverse workforce by 2025.

<iframe title="Curating an inclusive workplace - Tata Steel's Raahi" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AugDZujrRSo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MAST
Mankind - #SearchNahiResearchKiSuno with AcneStar
Agency: SG Dream Media Ventures

It’s a relief to see that a pimple is not the cause of a woman losing a job, a man and her self-confidence, and a face wash is not the reason she gets it all back. This brand takes a step in the right direction with the spotlight put on the product when it says trust research, not search. We liked the realistic portrayal of the quest to nuke pimples - from drinking bitter, green smoothies to putting the “entire fruit chart on your face”. And the pimple does not stop the young woman from going about her everyday business like taking public transport or working without covering her face in embarrassment.

<iframe title="Pimple problem? #SearchNahiResearchKiSuno with AcneStar" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mLt5QgUsYRc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MAST
Dezerv - ‘youdezervbetter’
Agency: Dezerv and Light@27

In this spot we see a news anchor named Shireen Sharma interviewing an influencer whose financial tips resulted in "an entire generation losing its life savings". With the rise of ‘finfluencers’ in the BFSI category, it was only a matter of time before the bubble burst. Recently, the indiscriminate promotion of crypto products and services by influencers has revealed the dangers of influencer marketing and its impact on consumers. Dezerv, however, takes an exaggerated and humorous approach to fire a serious shot at this cult of influencers while pitching itself as a superior and trustworthy wealth management brand.

<iframe title="World record set for investment research | dezerv." src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8wa7Z6C1qac" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MEH
Nivea - #BindaasTryKar
Agency: Publicis One Touch

The film features Nivea’s brand ambassador, actor Taapsee Pannu, who is seen painting a wall. As her friend hesitates to paint freely due to her rough and patchy underarms, Pannu advises her to ‘bindaas’ roll. We’ll skip the problem of the double entendre in that line and go straight to the real issue. When will we go past the narrative of patchy underarms, pimply skin, skin color, pores, body hair, etc, being the sole reason for a woman’s inability to do things like painting a wall or landing a job. Sure, many women would prefer smooth underarms, but rough ones aren’t stopping her from painting the town red.

<iframe title="NIVEA Pearl &amp; Beauty Deo Roll On | #BindaasTryKar | Hinglish" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MkbjU9veIFE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MAST
Thums Up - #HarHaathToofan
Agency: Ogilvy India

Thums Up's new campaign commemorating 75 years of India’s independence presents an ode to inspirational people who’ve helped build India. The spot features inspirational stories of athletes like Sourav Ganguly, Avani Lekhara, first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, and Nikhat Zareen, Indian Boxer and IBA Women’s World Boxing 2022 gold medalist. What stands out, though, is the captivating animation and creative visualization complimented with a compelling background score and poetry that evokes deep patriotism.

<iframe title="75 years of India’s Independence | Har Haath Toofan" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/32w8igx8zB4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MEH
Cadbury Dairy Milk - #ConnectedRakhi
Agency: Ogilvy India

We always appreciate when creativity marries tech to create something truly breakthrough in advertising. We’ve seen Indian agencies set new benchmarks by deploying technology creatively in the work. And Cadbury has been leading that charge along with a few other brands. But its new initiative falters. The brand has its heart in the right place when it comes to the insight of helping brothers spend more quality time with sisters this Rakhi. However, leveraging bluetooth enabled #ConnectedRakhi which needs to be connected with an app with a sign-up for it to work seems tedious. Cadbury says that sisters can upload a voice clip of their brother's promise on the app. The sister ties the connected rakhi on the brother’s arm, while it is paired with her phone. If the brother moves away from her or tries to leave, her phone plays the brother’s audio recording where he promised to spend the day with her. Too complex for its own good. This isn't a case of creativity marrying tech, it’s a case
of technology demolishing creativity.

<iframe title="Cadbury Celebration | #ConnectedRakhi" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b_f1Y-s1ZY0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>


MAST
WhatsApp - Scam Se Bacho
Agency: BBDO India

WhatsApp in its biggest market is pinging in lyrical advertising messages. In a music video, the instant messaging app, narrates real-life situations in which we see how individuals are prone to scams. The film further highlights the message of staying safe and exercising caution while making digital payments. The brand’s take on the classic Hindi song ‘Aye Bhai, Zara Dekh Ke Chalo’ from Mera Naam Joker adds the right mix of nostalgia and relatability that cuts across generations. This spot is worthy of a WhatsApp forward at the very least.

<iframe title="Stay safe with payments on WhatsApp." src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LyjKgriPOkU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>﻿

Mast & Meh: Cadbury’s lost connection; Thumbs up for WhatsApp, Dezerv & Thums Up

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh hit the headlines recently. Social media was set ablaze when his recent photo shoot in the buff went viral. The ensuing protests on grounds of obscenity and outrage brought to forefront timeless questions. What is a work of art? The answer to which could be: to see beauty in art is indeed in the eyes of the beholder. But what is the fine line between creativity and obscenity?

Such questions sometimes get reflected in controversial Indian advertising. The 1995 advertising campaign of Tuffs shoes brought to limelight these issues too.

“Tuff” competition

Phoenix International, the owner of Tuffs shoes, was a small, largely unknown sports shoe company. It had extra export shoe stock that it needed to sell in the Indian market; the same Indian market where it would face competition from large well established brands like Reebok and Action. It had to be noticed and seem desirable enough for customers to consider it.

The Brief

Phoenix approached Ambience Advertising. The company reportedly wanted to sell a large export surplus of sports shoes quickly. They also wanted the shoes to look fashionable.

A visit by the team from Ambience to the company’s shoe factory revealed that the sneakers were great looking. Now, the only issue was that the budget for the advertising was not sufficient for a television campaign. So, a decision was made to run with print advertising.

The Inspiration

Elsie Nanji of Ambience remembered the stunning black and white photographs shot by the late American photographers Herb Ritts and Robert Mapplethorpe. Their style was to shoot models in beautiful backgrounds as if they were sculptures. This style was an inspiration for the Tuffs shoes advertising campaign. Prabuddha Dasgupta was familiar with this photography style and was to shoot the print ads. It was decided to have a print campaign with six print advertisements.

The Models

Phoenix manufactured sports shoes, which were sturdy. The ad campaign needed to project a sense of fashion, with an attitude. The baseline for Tuffs shoes was “Hardwear for Feet”. Elsie and Prabuddha wanted models for the campaign who had athletic personalities. Madhu Sapre and Milind Soman seemed like a perfect fit. Madhu Sapre was a national-level discus thrower and Milind Soman was a national-level swimmer. They displayed an athletic personality and brought a spirit of strength to the ad campaign. That they looked good together in the photographs was certainly a plus. After taking some photos, Prabuddha commented that the duo looked great together and asked whether they would shoot in the buff. The two had no issues.

Sculpture as Art Form

Shooting photographs for the advertising campaign began. For one advertisement, Milind Soman was smeared with plaster of paris (POP), and crouched on an ornate pedestal, wearing only Tuffs shoes. Milind resembled a classic statue in all its muscular glory.

In another ad, Madhu Sapre is photographed in beachwear aiming a discus while wearing Tuffs shoes. The black and white photo emphasizing her strength and athletic physique.

One advertisement though made history. The black and white advertisement showed the glamorous models, Milind and Madhu, in an embrace, flaunting only Tuffs shoes. A large python was draped around their torsos.

[caption id="attachment_1220" align="alignnone" width="750"]<img class="size-large wp-image-1220" src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/tuff-1024x576.jpg" alt="The Tuffs shoes advertising campaign was shot by Prabuddha Dasgupta with models Madhu Sapre (above) and Milind Soman." width="750" height="422" /> The Tuffs shoes advertising campaign was shot by Prabuddha Dasgupta with models Madhu Sapre (above) and Milind Soman.[/caption]

The Reception

Phoenix was delighted with the campaign. Tuffs shoes had been shown as being sporty and making a bold statement. The advertising succeeded in cutting through the clutter of other brands and made Tuffs shoes salient in the minds of people. It delivered results that exceeded expectations.

Soon after the release of the print advertisement, many raised their eyebrows in disbelief at the models in buff and the “obscenity” of the ad. The ad went down in Indian advertising history as one of the most controversial ads.

There were many complaints filed. It was only in 2009 that the case against the models, among others, was dismissed.

Many years later, Tuffs shoes is no more but its advertising campaign still figures as a landmark in Indian advertising history.

Creativity and Artistic Licence

The recent controversy in which Ranveer Singh is embroiled, and the earlier Tuffs shoes advertising showcase the social limits of creativity. Artistic license is rooted in human emotion and values and varies through the ages and in different societies. To try to balance societal values with creativity is an ongoing challenge in all art forms, and in many human endeavours.

Tuffs shoes: Running into controversy

﻿Sudhir Sitapati joined the homegrown FMCG giant Godrej Consumer Products as MD and CEO last year when the world was beginning to open up in a post-pandemic era. 

In a candid interview with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, Sitapati tells us how he articulated his vision for GCPL and his approach towards marketing and brand building. Sitapati also shares how Godrej is democratising categories, his advice for young marketers and leaders, and what he thinks is the secret to creating brands and businesses that are built to last.﻿

<iframe width="885" height="498" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-_5ThtcH_6w" title="In Conversation With Sudhir Sitapati On Godrej Consumer Products' Biz Outlook | Storyboard 18" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In conversation with GCPL's MD & CEO, Sudhir Sitapati

Digital debt financing platform CredAvenue’s brand revamp as Yubi ties well with its goal of going beyond being a credit-only platform into its international expansion to markets such as West Asia and North Africa.

Founded in 2020, Yubi facilitates debt financing for companies by connecting lenders and investors with borrowers through an online marketplace. Its offerings include term lending and working capital solutions, co-lending partnerships for banks and NBFCs, bond issuance and investment for institutional and retail participants, trade financing solutions and end-to-end securitisation and portfolio buyouts.

The Chennai-based fintech startup entered the unicorn club in just 18 months after raising around $137 million in its Series B funding. Flush with funds, the company is looking to create awareness about availability of hassle-free credit and new verticals (investment/real estate) that it intends to launch.

In an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18, Karanpreet Bindra, Yubi’s chief marketing officer, breaks down the objective behind the brand revamp. According to him, the company is looking at a large global category that can’t be contained in CredAvenue, which was a functional name.

“Our intent or ambition is to be the invisible layer covering the entire credit and debt ecosystem in the world. CredAvenue is not going to do justice to our ambition because our goal is much wider than just providing credit,” he says.

Bindra says that Yubi aims to facilitate all sorts of credit transactions right from connecting a borrower and lender, which happens to be the marketplace side of things (and what CredAvenue sounds like), ensuring smooth digitised execution on the platform itself, monitoring the journey end-to-end, and enabling connections for that loan.

Why Yubi?

So, what does Yubi mean and how did the company arrive at the new name?

Yubi means being ubiquitous, Bindra tells us. It’s like water, air or even the internet, which is out there all around you and powering life. "We wish to be that ubiquitous layer that’s the origin of Yubi, which is short for ubiquity. I think the other one is that we have a strong fundamental belief in the power of humans in doing great things and that’s where the tagline comes from."

"We believe in the fundamental right of access to capital and the potential of humans. We stand for leveraging human potential – You be – so you be at your best, which is the other inspiration for the brand name,” he explains.

Many TGs and eleven marketing plans

Yubi works with various target audiences (TGs). In the marketplace model, the company has lenders (banks/NBFCs) and borrowers (enterprises, which can have as little as Rs 10 crore annual revenue / taking a loan against property, to a unicorn or Rs 10,000 crore listed organisation looking to raise debt).

“We cater to almost six TG sets within the borrower ecosystem and three segments around the lender ecosystem. We work with two broad categories: B2B and B2B2C. For instance it can be a firm like CRED or payment app Slice, which are our customers; although they are dealing with the end customers we are powering their transactions," Bindra says.

The company will soon build and launch a B2C vertical focussed on investment products.

"We are like a single mother brand catering to almost eight different sub-brands,” Bindra notes.

For each of these sub-brands, the company has an individual marketing budget and campaign as well as a marketing strategy.

“As a group CMO, I’m working on 11 marketing plans, including the mother brand," says Bindra. He draws a comparison to an iconic global brand: "With Yubi, we have done the umbrella or mother branding similar to what FedEx does."

But all of Yubi's sub-brands will also have individual marketing plans aimed at their respective TG. For instance, one of its product brands is 'Yubi Invest', so that’s a product about wealth and it targets wealth managers. The whole marketing campaign and strategy for this sub-product will be built independent of the mother brand.

Translating vision to a new identity

Yubi’s marketing goal in the next two years is to establish itself as a leader powering the entire debt ecosystem in India, West Asia and the North Africa region. On product lines, it is targeting a leadership position in six of the eight sub-brands.

Talking about the brand identity change, Alexa Hargreave, client partner, Venture3, says that the agency has developed a set of brand principles that underpin the way Yubi speaks, acts, looks and behaves to drive the experiences it creates.

These principles include ‘Freedom to collaborate’ (which focuses on breaking down barriers and discovering opportunities), ‘Power of transparency’ (inspired by integrity and honesty in the open exchange of ideas and capital) and ‘Equitable and fair’ (a belief in the public good and opportunity that capital creates).

The agency says that it has repositioned Yubi from a debt marketplace to a ‘possibility platform’.

Design and brand expert Shekhar Badve, founder-director, Lokusdesign, says that the identity looks young and has an interesting play of 2D and 3D effects. “It looks like a marketplace for young investors. (But) I feel the identity should have been a bit serious and build confidence just by looking at it,” he notes.

Bindra, however, is confident that the new brand identity effectively captures Yubi's reason to be and future direction.

STORYBOARD 18