Consumer perception of a brand is one of the dominating psychological factors influencing consumer behaviour. However, when brands prefer momentary fame through topical marketing over consistently marketing one particular theme, or when an advertisement is aired to appease the changing mindset of the consumers superficially without much depth or context, the brand ends up making a blurry impression on the consumers.
With the struggle to remain relevant on social media, brands often put out statements/commercials surrounding an ongoing issue without considering all the perspectives to the concerned matter which has often landed them in a negative space.
1. Kent RO
No one anticipated a pandemic. Having said that, circumstances have been harsher on certain people. The daily wage earners and migrant workers faced an absolute abysmal situation where food and water became a scarce resource for them during the exodus. It was during such a time when India was facing the migrant crisis that Kent Ro released an advertisement depicting household helpers in a derogatory light in a failed attempt to portray the importance of hygiene. It faced heavy criticism and was soon taken down.
2. Cadbury Unity Bar
Cadbury released its Unity bar on the Independence Day of 2019. The idea to celebrate “unity in diversity” was executed via incorporating four different chocolates (white, milk, a blend of milk and dark and dark) from top to bottom in one single bar. The ad was published only in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai and this bar was only available on Flipkart which makes it a topical marketing move. As stated by Karthik Srinivasan, independent creative consultant, –
“….Further, considering that it is a limited-editions product which sold only via Flipkart, the intent, I assume is not sales, but PR and buzz,”
However, Cadbury made some glaring mistakes and social media had been quick to point out the same :
- LaToya Christian : “I’m perplexed as to how #Cadbury believes a unity candy bar is doing anything to promote unity of any kind. Diversity isn’t your new marketing tagline. This is a real issue affecting real people. Cadbury this is FAIL and so tone deaf!”
- Author Jonny Sun : “why are they all segregated by color then”
- Zak: “all the different colour bars are segregated with the white bars on top of the others this isn’t a unity bar it’s an apartheid bar”
- Charles M Blow: “Also, even in the promotional shot the dark ones are on the bottom.”
3. Paytm
Demonitizaton led to a boom in the marketing campaigns by E-wallet companies, especially Paytm. The day the announcement of demonitization had taken place, Paytm had almost all newspapers dedicate their front pages to their ad thanking the Prime Minister –
This did not settle well with some people including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and that dragged the brand into the political limelight. The CM tweeted,-
“Paytm biggest beneficiary of PM’s announcement. Next day PM appears in its ads. Whats the deal, Mr PM?”
Paytm then released an ad which included the dialogue “Drama baandh karo, Paytm karo”. It attracted criticism for its insensitive remark from several verified users on twitter who were empathizing with the plight of those whose lives depended on cash transactions such as daily wage earners and small enterprises.
Within a few hours, Paytm had that Ad taken down and uploaded a modified ad which replaced the word “Drama” with “Chinta” while assuring people about their “strong belief in financial inclusion for every Indian.”
4. Glow and Lovely
The Black Lives Matter Movement in US initiated an aggressive flow of criticism against Fair and Lovely. To appease the masses, Hindustan Unilever Limited rebranded “Fair and Lovely” into “Glow and Lovely” while keeping the rest EXACTLY the same. They released a commercial soon where they emphasized on the new brand name twice while talking about the same old “glow” which is nothing but a synonym of “fair” in this context.
This eyewash failed to convince people. It reassured people about HUL’s intention to keep profiting from the colourism that exists in India.
Unlike other brands, HUL stood its ground. It stated:
“We also need to respect the fact that all over the world there are different views of what beauty is. 300 million people choose to buy Fair & Lovely every year. We want to meet the different desires of different consumers around the world safely, and in a positive and inclusive way.”
5. Amul
Amul Girl is the face of topical marketing. Amul has had plenty of successful campaigns but it also has its share of failures. Two such incidents occurred in 2020. The first one was with respect to homecoming of Indians from the virus break in Wuhan. It left twitter divided with one half emphasizing on its insensitivity while the other countering it by stating it as “harmless wit”.
The second campaign was in support of the Prime Ministers “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or “Made in India” movement. Due to the pandemic Asians all over the globe were facing a surge in xenophobia and anti-asian violence and such a campaign did not work in their favour. The Amul twitter account ended up getting blocked but was soon restored. The campaign also faced political heat as it was labelled as being biased towards the Government of India.
Topical Marketing is a quick way to grab the nation’s attention. This mode of marketing is becoming increasingly popular among brands. This phenomenon has given birth to another race of who-can-do-it-first. It leads to more rush and a greater room for error. This may lead to drastic consequences when it comes to consumer perception of a brand if the ad comes off as insincere and superficial. Topical marketing provides instant positive recognition if it is done right. Durex, a prominent topical player, has been nailing the marketing arena and has earned the nickname – King of Advertising. Brands need to be very aware if they choose to enter the domain of topical marketing as this type of a marketing tactic reaches the audience at large, all of whom may not fall within the brand’s consumer base thereby opening itself up to various perspectives which has an overall effect on the consumer perception of a brand.
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