Just What the Future Ordered Just What the Future Ordered Marketing to India's rural population has to be as distinct as the population that it approaches. Alvin Saldanha, Chief Creative Officer — Idea Domain, makes a point.
financing from the government.
risk the possibility of looking foolish.
Private pharmaceutical companies have shown initiative in this area.
Another learning is that when communicating to people who,
Recognising the very long term potential of providing diagnostic,
unfortunately, cannot read or write, merely giving them
preventive and medical services to the poorest of the poor, they have
communication to look at doesn’t suffice. Getting them to cotton on
long since begun a variety of imaginative and effective exercises in
is crucial; hence the imagination with which the communication
reaching out to impoverished Indians in benighted internal areas,
depicts people, illnesses, and manifestations of disease is important.
thus laying the foundations of good health. From the openly visible
The key here is that positive imagery draws people into a
population control exercises by NGOs to a variety of programs that
communication and negative imagery (pictures of disease of inflicted
deal with women’s issues, vision problems, TB and diarrhoea, good
people) repels them, so it should be placed either inside the location
nutrition and vaccination exercises, companies are deploying armies
or should be in the hands of medical personnel, to take away the
of doctors, medical workers, and organising camps… all ensuring that
repulsion factor.
a fresh wave of ‘inclusive’ medical possibility touches the lives of
Wherever the communication is being displayed, a recognition of the
Indians who would otherwise have no hope for it.
local folk aesthetic also plays a make or break factor. Idiom, colour,
Herein lays another challenge: communication. This kind of
local folk arts are key elements. Because many communications need
communication has proven to present some of the most unique
to be centrally produced to ensure economy and accuracy, they can
challenges and each campaign results in fresh learnings that must be
be strangely off-putting when they appear in their final intended
shared.
location. An extra effort to add a layer of ‘localising’ can make all the
The most important thing to remember is that any communication
difference. For example, ‘city’-esque pictures don’t go far with
faces ‘competition’ from erroneous beliefs, erroneous practices, and
villagers when you want them to change a lifelong unhygienic habit
insecure village doctors. Indeed, as in the WHO’s case, it was the
because they seem to think that this kind of ‘cleanliness luxury’ is for
religious authorities that presented the problem. As in the case of all
the city folk, who have the time and money to indulge in these things!
such groups, their yen for exercising their power, however
Above all, go bearing gifts. It’s not just the thought (or the campaign)
capriciously, and their need to show and feel that they still wield
that counts. To touch their hearts shows a smidgen of affection and generosity. To get your communication ready and shining is all good and dandy, but if you want people to look at it with favour and co-
Some years ago, the WHO’s polio vaccine drive to dispense a critical
encourage people to visit the medical camps and assure them that
multi-state polio vaccination in India faced a particularly vexing
the vaccine had no ‘side effects’ to fear.
challenge: Muslim religious leaders in two states prohibited the
However, a strategic decision was taken: while Aamir’s beaming,
faithful from administering their infants with the polio vaccine
welcoming, reassuring face appeared on each and every
because, as they had told the trusting folk, the polio vaccine was ‘an
communication, the perverse issue that had stymied the program
evil plot by the West to destroy the reproductive system of their
was ignored completely. Aamir’s fabulous star power was pressed
infants from developing correctly, and prevent them from having
into play, and it worked like a charm. Thousands of Indians flocked to
children when they grow up’.
the camps, they arrived grinning at the Aamir overdose all around
Fortunately, we were in close contact with Indian film star Aamir
them, whooping and laughing, they took pictures next to the giant
Khan, being as we were in the middle of the giant ‘Thanda Matlab
Aamir cutouts dotted all over the camp, and had their babies
Coca-Cola’ campaign. Aamir instantly agreed to help, gratis, with
confidently vaccinated.
anything and everything we could do to encourage these parents to
It is an interesting episode to relate to in the challenge of caring for
have their infants vaccinated. With reference to his suggestions, we
Indians who have been marginalised in India’s Great Leap Forward.
developed a campaign to respond to this bizarre challenge; to
And it is an interesting learning we can bring to bear in solving what is
operation, remember that you have to earn their pleasure. The author began his career in 1982 at JWT as a copywriter, and has been Creative Director with Rediffusion DY&R, Vice President and Executive Creative Director with the McCann Worldgroup. He can be reached at alvinsaldanha@gmail.com.
not just one of the most pressing needs of the country, but one of the most promising growth segments for the many providers of India’s infrastructure. And one of the most important dynamics in this emerging new sector is health. In fact, India’s health universe, central to powering and sustaining India’s leap into the fraternity of first world nations, needs to be communicated, understood and appreciated accurately by all its constituencies. At the top end, the knowing constituencies need no persuasion: seeped in market and profit realities, they can easily see the road ahead. The challenge here lies in convincing market-oriented businesses and organisations to commit to setting up health facilities in places where the profit margin is not so high, or the initial set-up financing and revenue possibility is linked to the capriciousness of
31
some clout, all play a part. One learning is, paradoxically, to present an overwhelming distraction to a false issue. As with Aamir Khan, the positive assurance of Aamir’s star power overrode not just any hesitation but gave people the gumption to defy the religious leaders. To the religious leaders, Aamir Khan is a checkmate issue and they cannot
32