Backlog Brilliance is a segment that takes you back in time, to the Synergyzer of Yesteryear. This particular piece is from 2004, the fourth issue, ‘The Cold War,’ written by Syed Moazzam Hai
Syed Moazzam Hai, Creative Group Head, Orient McCann-Erickson, shares his thoughts on the crucial topic of Advertising Expense and Budget
“Let me be precise for the unavoidable benefit of all of us. This ad looks like a naked sheep with the only wool left is placed around his rear armpits. I mean, why so much bald space in this ad!!”
“And if you still are mischievously unwilling to get to the point, here are a few volumes of essential strategic objectives we’ll be extracting out of this 30-second TVC. I mean, think in a broader perspective. 30 seconds are like mincing a major chunk out of a person’s age, so no increase in duration.”
“My brand needs advertising as much as we need our marketing director. This means no advertising; the brand is doing crazy this year.”
Such direct, indirect, hard-hitting, symbolic, thematic, tactical, soft, loud thoughts of thoughtfulness routinely germinate from the friendly depths of the mind of a brand-side juggernaut of qualified wisdom to afflict awe in the mortified nerves of a creative victim.
“The deliberate empty space in the ad is meant to create an enhanced degree of attention-grabbing focus to the visual/text message (ad).”
“Too many objectives would voluntarily spoil the distinctive composure of the TVC. depriving it of any true concentration point and leaving it with negligible recall value.”
“Ascension needs a greater push than descent. If a brand is climbing high, it therefore requires a stronger advertising impulse to sustain its momentum. While a brand performing well could be due to various reasons—such as category expansion, competitive pressure, or even loyalty erosion—each of these scenarios nonetheless demands an even greater advertising force. In every case, there is a heightened need to create stronger awareness of the brand or reinforce its positioning.”
It’s simple. You want to retain your winning position?
Keep winning.
Such cautious, pugnacious, up roaring, murmuring, suggestive, plaintive, argumentative, passive, expressive logics of dissent emerge consequently from the suffering depths of the mind of an ad agency. It throws in a token nod to professional sacrifice, only to let it drown beneath the weight of agency commissions.
And so nothing untoward happens, most of the time, it’s advertising as usual.
Forgettable advertising that fails to touch the hearts of its audience and overwhelms them with product information. But so remarkably bereft of one single creative rendition that creates a cherishable brand association in the minds, hearts and attitude of the consumer.
Advertising that creates a market, where consumers decide their soft drink choice on the distribution factor. Where “mamta” flunks to attract personal bondage with a cooking oil brand.
Ask advertising people and they wholeheartedly give client the credit. To influence advertising into product informational zing rather than product sensationalising.
No, really tell me, how many ads in print or electronic media do you and I come across that wistfully challenge our attention. Forcefully capture our spontaneous liking and successfully leave a lasting impression of the product? None. Most of the time.
Our contemporary advertising is not capable of doing any of the above wonders. It bombards the audience with superfluous product information and shallow objectives. But naming the client for most of the blame is just the beginning of the truth.
Dig a little deeper and there lies in the client’s mind. A single focus idea of detrimental properties for advertising: “the advertising expense”.
It’s as simple a reason as this. Client considers the amount/budget spent on advertising as advertising expense. And not as a tactful art form of long-term business investment for the brand.
Slashing of advertising budgets as the first and (often) the last resort to cut down corporate expenses. Forced compromises on production, wall-to-wall product informational objectives laid down all over a 27×4 print ad or 30-second TVC. The mentality of advertising expenses works everywhere.
The brand is already doing great, and the company is stashing money like free air. Advertising not required/brand doing bad, no money coming the company’s way, advertising not required. The scapegoat is advertising because everyone wants to save on advertising expenses.
In some cases, it’s the overall advertising budget that’s trimmed to its bare soul. As a new senior executive level entry in a company plans to justify his/her fat remuneration package by saving the company’s money. And the advertising expense is the easiest to be tampered with. That’s the macro functioning of “advertising expense mindset”.
The below macro above micro activity cuts down the production cost or duration of a TVC, change size/colour definition of a print ad or stuff too many messages into a single advertising element.
On micro-level, it could be as petty as insisting on the presence of the creative on local shoot and ensuring his/her absence on a foreign shoot by the client.
“Advertising expense” cult could include almost anyone on client’s side, from a bubbly, hip-hop, hot shot, oven fresh ABM in a flashy multinational/quasi multinational environment to an extra senior seth or seth crony/proxy of ominous streetwise sagacity in a local business, there’s no hard and fast exception.
A spate of changes is flooding advertising, more electronic channels, greater technology in design and print, international affiliations, a lot is happening, but advertising expense is there like ever before.
Will someone delete advertising expense out of client’s mind?
I think time will.
