These ads are difficult to miss. CNBC Awaaz says it is "the No 1 Business News Channel in India". Times Now boasts it is "the most watched English news channel on Budget day". CNN IBN claims to be "the No 1 English news channel across audience groups across India on the polling day during the three state assembly elections". The best part is they pay rival media groups big money to carry big front-page ads to bolster their claims, complete with bar graphs and testimonials.
Indeed, big brands routinely tout survey figures in their advertising that show they lead the pack. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are prime examples of companies that are constantly locking horns over rival survey findings. They have taken the battle to the smaller brands in the stable too. So there will be ads by Kinley and Aquafina saying they have gained market share at home-grown Bisleri's expense. On its part, Bisleri will pooh-pooh such erosion in its market shares citing "internal studies" that will prove that, in fact, its X-per cent market share is very much intact. Then there are the "Top B-School" surveys, following which there are a slew of ads released by the new rank holders (among the B-schools, mind you!). And the battle between Pepsodent and Colgate is part of marketing lore now.
Many of these ads end up on the floors of the Advertising Standards Council of India and are routinely barred from being displayed in public or referred back to the companies concerned for changes. But companies are back at it in no time. In all these cases, the issue is not about the authenticity of survey findings alone. It is more about this overwhelming desire to appear to be the bigger brand or company. It is about making headlines the way Hero Honda did a decade ago when it nudged past Bajaj Auto as the largest two-wheeler company in the country. It is about being perceived as the market leader, irrespective the size of the market.
Why is it so critical for brands to appear to be the dominant brand in a market or claim to be No. 1 even in a minuscule segment? That question is easily answered: no one wants to be the No. 2, except if you happen to be the legendary US-based car rental company Avis, which almost made a virtue out of being the No. 2. (Avis is only No. 2 in rent-a-cars. So we try harder.)
But what when there are no irrefutable studies or figures that conclusively settle the matter? And everyone claims to be a leader in some segment of the same market? Who, really, is impressed?
That question is irrelevant, advertising guys will tell you. Being No. 1 is actually psychological muscle. The fact is there are many interest groups to which a company has to cater and prime among them is the financial community. In the analyst community, even a one percentage point drop in market share suggests that the brand is weakening. Now this might be happening for no fault of the brand or it may merely be a temporary setback on account of market conditions, unavailability of raw material or simply an economic slowdown. "But the belief that de-growth equals failure is too deeply ingrained," says a marketing executive handling one of the brands mentioned here.
Then there are the other stakeholders - the suppliers, the trade, business associates and the employees. By projecting yourself as a leader, you keep morale up. There is consequent desirability in being associated with you. Which also explains the mad rush among business schools to release ads with various survey just before the placement season (one reason such ads have become rampant in recent months). Mostly, it is a knee-jerk reaction but companies have to keep instilling faith in the larger stakeholder community.
Of course, there are many more worthy messages that can be communicated through advertising but there are times when companies have no other option but to fall back on the good work done in the past when consumers start doubting a company's credentials and abilities. Then there are tactical reasons, like the 2013 battle between Hindustan Unilever (HUL)'s Fair & Lovely and L'Oreal's Garnier over which is the No 1 fairness cream. After HUL said "Fair & Lovely hai unbeatable. Lagi Rs 5 crore ki shart?" (Fair & Lovely is unbeatable. Game for Rs 5 crore bet?) in a TV commercial, L'Oreal retorted saying, "Sirf hum dete hai complete fairness. Toh Rs 5 crore kab milenge?" (Only we give complete fairness. So when do we get Rs 5 crore?). Nice case of ambush marketing but the jury is still out on which brand can give you "complete" fairness, if at all.
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
