Aakhir woah zindagi kya .......

    Advertising -  The world that Proliferates On Persuasion .

I grew up studying in a private school in my area which had appointed  a 60 year old principle Dr Salma Paleja - a Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing who taught my class  pre- economics and the basics of economics in grade 10 th back in 2016 . During one of her lectures in which the topic of discussion was how advertising influences the choices of the customers , Dr Paleja quoted a strong statement which I still remember clearly after all these years " In the world of advertising it is important to express - express the ideas , innovations , feelings - express it all, as this expression leaves a deep impression on the viewer and they connect - connect immediately though being a lot away from the reality , the expression that leads to impression , has the potential to create customers even from continents away " This thoughts of her still echo in my ears when I sit to think and pen down about the most persuasive advertisement that I saw years ago when I was a 13 year old  school going teen and threw literal tantrums at my parents in a supermarket to buy me a regular hair shampoo which carried a  way high price tag attached to  it then its regular market value - all credits to the creative yet the most influence advertisement that they came up with which they really  "swept off  every teenage girl with rosy dreams of her being a princess of her dreams " . 

Clinic plus - a popular shampoo brand  from Hindustan Unilever limited  launched  in July 2012 , primarily targeted the female teenage customers and their mothers , which always had an echo of either the mother daughter relationship in their advertisements which talked louder then the words used itself in a few seconds long commercial played on the local television in every break during a programmae . The brand really turned out be a nationwide hit with targeting more customers  then expected , specifically it was a hit among all females then and not only on their targeted section of teenage girls , but as time flew and more national and international brands like - TRESemme , Dove , Loreal , Sunsilk entered the market the customers did start to leave behind their trusted brands and went on exploring the fresh brands . 

Admist all this Clinic plus then tried to capture back the market with associating  itself and being partners to a Disney movie "Rapunzel " which was then to be released  in India , for the very first time ever  in the National language of Indians  " Hindi " . To capture the market the advertisements displays the tale of how princess Rapunzel is captured in the huge big castle with nothing but gloom and sadness and an hope to escape if some Prince Charming of hers shows up to rescue her from the castle but adding up the twist to the traditional tail , the advertising folks have tried to deliver a strong message of an independent women who uses her long hairs herself as a rope to escape , with this  claims it successfully convinces it customers that the Beauty and a brain is all credits to their product clinic plus repunzel collection - along with which it is not only the shampoo the company also did offer a  gift wrapped  with each purchase of the collection -a tiny princess hairband and a rubber band and a small princess comb to target the young girls which was pretty much a success I would say as I  did spot every every girl in my class  then with those rubber bands and hairbands on ,either during our regular swimming classes or during a birthday party of a classmate . 

The particular advertisement was really persuasive one as apart from a strong desire to add those  catchy cute hairbands and rubber bands to my collection , I did strongly feel that all though I do have stronger hairs only using "clinic plus shampoo " will make me feel like  a real life princess - with all my friends starting around when I jumped and danced with my hairs wide open imagining myself in a ball gown sitting on a charriot riding admits the town with all eyes stuck up on nothing but my beauty and my silky hairs  .  ughh ! Teen years you know .When I sit back and think today I realize how immature it was of me as a kid to fight my own parents constantly to buy me a real expensive bottle of shampoo which was nothing but the same normal clinic  plus edition with only a changed bottle packing  - princess themed obviously! and a few small  complimentary  gifts . But probably it wasn't only me who created at the scene at the  supermarket and compelled my parents by becoming a literal rebel to bring that thing home , I was surrounded by many such girls around who changed their definition of feeling pretty and what being or feeling like princess meant just as soon as this advertisement was released in the market . Weird isn't it ? but was it really our immaturity to fall for the persuasion or was it the real success of the marketing and the advertising team of the brand the caught the weakest of nerves of their target customers . dang it .! Were we targeted or did we straight got trapped in a well knitted trap? as  I would  like to say . 

- Prachi Kamleshkumar Patel