Business Standard

Can advertising affect social change?

Evidence is mounting that advertising can play an important role as part of wider social marketing campaigns to shift human behaviour

Gajendra Singh Chauhan

Strategist Team
Social change comes with cultural change: Mohit Hira

In this seemingly simple question, there are two – if not three – things to focus on: ‘advertising’, ‘social change’ and, perhaps, ‘vehicle’… I say “perhaps” because the vehicles or media that advertising depends on have changed dramatically in the last half-decade. Consequently, brand managers are scrambling in search of custodians with new skills to buffet themselves against volatile, unpredictable, societal-led storms.

And that’s because brands have realised that while social media changed the game, they themselves need to play on the same terms as their audiences. Political parties, citizen groups, governmental departments, NGOs are all categories whose brands have jumped into the tide and gone with the flow to swim with – and not against – the new communications current.

One such organisation is the Delhi Traffic Police: yes, it is a brand with a distinct identity and, along with the Delhi Government, has a strong legacy of advertising. It joined Facebook in 2010 to now be befriended by over 177,000 people and is followed by 77,000 on Twitter (the difference between fans and followers is interesting): between these two channels, they inform, educate and engage with Delhi-ites. Has it led to a significant improvement in traffic yet? While there is no research that confirms this, it’s evident that people who used to hit the road blissfully unaware of what lay ahead, are now, at least, aware of stress-points which must have led to a less frazzled workforce reaching their workplace. Likewise, the Mumbai Police campaign on safety earlier this year helped people see the much-maligned ‘mamus’ in a new light. In Gurgaon, a campaign to reclaim the roads for pedestrians resulted in ‘Raahgiri’, which makes Sunday mornings a picnic on vehicle-free streets.

And a recently-launched app, cleverly named Safetipin, encourages citizens to rate their neighbourhoods on various safety parameters but advertises offline to raise awareness.

Even popular brands have advertised to alter attitudes: PCRA runs regular campaigns to help save fuel conservation which, along with the installation of countdown tickers at traffic signals has led to many drivers switching off their engines. And, at the other end, Axe created advertising that positioned a male deodorant as a magnet to attract women: it may not have succeeded entirely but it also attracted many more challengers like ITC’s Engage…all of which have certainly led to travelling in packed trains and buses a lot more bearable as armpits no longer smell as awful as they used to. If that’s not change across a cross-section of society, then what is?

Social change comes in many forms: travel portals created an entirely new category where the agent became marginalized; so much so, that late-entrant, high-growth players like GoIbibo are focusing on the simplicity and reliability of their platforms to grow the market even more. OLX encourages us to get rid of old stuff at home and perhaps the good old ‘raddiwalla’ will go the way of the travel agent someday. Even partnerships between brands are driving social change: when Airtel offers a data plan with a new Nokia Lumia handset or the latest iPhone, they’re acknowledging that a nation which probably created the concept of missed calls now needn’t be encouraged to talk as much as browse the Internet. Messaging apps like WeChat, a non-existent category a year ago, are large spenders and are changing the way youth communicate.

It’s perspectives like these and individual experiences shared across social media that form collective opinions on brands. Almost exactly five years ago, Seth Godin wrote: “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.”

As communicators, our task is to create responsible advertising that has a positive impact on society: for a long time, it was said that advertising reflected societal change and was influenced by cinema. Today, however, the advertising industry is doing pioneering work that cashes in on insights born out of human behaviour and converts them into campaigns that connect with consumers and attracts a premium.

Social change comes with cultural change. And advertising doesn’t hit us just via TV commercials or newspaper ads; the age of bombarding has been replaced with integrated, embedded conversations. India is going to see more of this in 2014 when the general elections will drive political parties to advertise more than ever before. In an era of transparency with an always-on generation ready to build or demolish brands, political parties will have to ensure their campaigns promise only what they can really deliver… can there be any greater effect of advertising for social change than this one category?

Mohit Hira
Senior Vice-President & Digital Head, JWT India Group
 

Mlenga Jere
Advertising can effect change, but not in isolation: Mlenga Jere

IN TODAY'S, world, the recruitment of advertising to assist in the changing of human behaviour is on the increase. However, how effective advertising is in influencing behaviour or shaping opinions depends on a number of factors, including the extent to which it is able to get the target audience to buy into the message. At the lowest level, advertising can get the target audience to comply with the advertisement message because they (the target audience) expect the compliance to help them obtain what they want; even if they do not fully accept it. Price discounts and loyalty rewards that depend on the customer undertaking to take some action in order to qualify for a reward are good examples.

A stronger reaction is if the target market can identify with the advertiser or message source because they are considered to be attractive or similar to the target audience. To be effective at this level, advertising needs to be supported by other factors in the marketing strategy such as quality products and services, better access, improved affordability, and acceptability to the target audience.

A good example of advertising that was able to bring about behaviour change is the Balbir Pasha campaign run by Population Services International in India to reduce rates of unsafe sex and encourage people to call the HIV/AIDS hotline. Here, advertising was supported by a number of other factors that were part of the broad social marketing campaign to influence behaviour change. The resulting behaviour change is well documented and included increased last-time condom usage with commercial sex workers.

Of course advertising can lead to behaviour change as the Balbir Pasha example demonstrated, but we must acknowledge the role of concurrent events on behaviour change. The challenge here is well captured in the words of John Wanamaker who is recorded to have said "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half".

Mlenga Jere
Senior lecturer, University of Cape Town, Graduate School of Business, South Africa


Anil Jayaraj
Advertising can be and is a powerful means of influencing social change: Anil Jayaraj

ADVERTISING IS influenced by the culture of a society and in turn it impacts the views of the society. Ads don't just sell us cars, beauty products or clothes. They also sell us a lifestyle by celebrating a certain way of living or thinking.

The latest Tanishq campaign works on the idea of a woman's remarriage. This ad is remarkable also for touching upon another aspect of the Indian psyche where a dusky woman is able to hold her own and remarry a man of her choice. Another great work of execution is the recent Google ad. It focuses on the reunion of friends who had been separated due to the partition. The Hassi Brothers' campaign for Fevikwik is Pidilite's attempt at changing the society's consumerist attitude and reminding them that recycling is socially responsible behaviour.

The essence of the message needs to be powerful enough to move people. When an appeal is made to teach others around us, very few of us make the effort to follow through but when the same concept is given a mass appeal, a fervour of social change, as in the case of the Teach India campaign, the results are far more satisfactory and wide-reaching.

The Tata Tea Jaago Re campaign is about trying to awaken the desire to vote among the young citizens of our country. They are urged to vote out corruption. Did the ad want to make you want to sign up for the voter's list? That's where the proof of the pudding lies.
Anil Jayaraj
Chief Marketing Officer, Pidilite Industries


Gajendra Singh Chauhan
If advertising can mobilise consumer choice, it can affect social change: Gajendra Singh Chauhan

ADVERTISING CAN be an agent of social change and empowerment. It can also mobilise consumer choice for more sustainable consumption. In India, companies like Tata, Infosys, Amul, Godrej, Maruti, HCL, Hero Honda and ITC are now focusing more on practices that help them tap consumers' preference for green products while promoting eco-friendly practices in their own companies. Take Idea Cellular's 'Use Mobile, Save Paper' campaign. Yes, building the brand's equity is a consideration here but by advocating that people shift to mobile, it sends out a clear and simple message: save paper, prevent deforestation and provide green cover.

A brand can associate with a social issue in two ways - either by showcasing itself as a philanthropic and conscientious brand or as a brand that can affect worldwide change. Social change encompasses many things - working for a greener planet, building community awareness, initiatives to cast your vote, stopping corruption, poverty eradication, gender discrimination and lots more.

An advertising campaign that talks of social upliftment or partners with people for a new and powerful India is going to help a brand stand out in the clutter. For example, Havells' 'Winds of Change' ad is an example of how advertising can be socially powerful in transmitting new thinking. Research has shown how advertising can mesmerise audiences and can move them to purchase products. There is no reason why they can't move people to change or bring about change.
Gajendra Singh Chauhan
Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, BITS Pilani

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First Published: Dec 30 2013 | 12:06 AM IST

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