Transforming human behaviour

I have been asked numerous times on various occasions and by people from all walks of life about the purpose of advertising and the purpose of a brand. Is it informing people about your products and services or like the legendary David Ogilvy simply put it- to sell? While both of these are true, none of them stand out to be the one ultimate goal of a brand. Advertising transcends all such horizons and serves the supreme purpose of - transforming human behavior. Here is one brand which has shown us the real purpose of a brand with a fantastic campaign. Yes, I am talking about Cadbury Dairy Milk and its recent campaign Shubh Aarambh.

 

Since six decades, Cadbury Dairy Milk has been a part of every Indian’s special moments of delight, pleasure, enjoyment and celebration. It has wonderfully crept into the joyous occasions of the people of this country, be it festivities or small moments of personal joy. But this time it has gone beyond that and brought about an actual transformation in people’s behavior. The Shubh Aarambh campaign urges consumers to have Cadbury Dairy Milk before beginning any activity stating, “Koi bhi shubh kaam karne se pehle kuch meetha khalena chahiye. Kaam acha hota hai”. The good old tradition of celebrating after every success and after every little happiness has been taken to a new level by Cadbury India this time. The commercials tell people to celebrate the ‘beginning’ and not only the result. It shows people how to celebrate the ‘attempt’ and not necessarily the achievement. The belief that they have inculcated in people is that good things happen when one starts a venture on a positive note (like sharing sweets).

Behaviors are not built over a period of a day or so and similarly cannot be transformed easily. Only by thoroughly and exhaustively understanding what makes people tick can we dream up of the kind of ideas that capture their attention, solve their problems, address their needs, respect their intelligence, overcome their doubts and ultimately impact behavior. Here is a brand trying to find purpose in people’s lives. Cadbury has shown the path for others to follow and create a meaningful difference in the lives of people. So, let us not tell ourselves that we’re ‘just’ in the business of making ads but rather in the business of transforming human behavior.

(The author is National Creative Director, Leo Burnett)