Why companies show dreams but not facts

Victor Papanek, a well-known designer famously said in the '70s that design is the second worst profession in the world, the worst being advertising. And that is because both drive consumerism. The solution, of course, is not to give up on design and advertising but to create awareness and nurture responsible approaches towards them.

The beauty of advertising is that it sells dreams. How boring it would be to drink flavoured water with colour, preservatives and a lot of sugar. But because of advertising one drinks thunder, energy, youthfulness, togetherness and not a boring, bottled soft drink. Advertisements build strong associations with products and services and are intricately woven with the overall consumer experience of the product or service. At a macro level, they also sell brands and values.

It is interesting that what was once limited to corporate brands has now percolated into many other aspects in our day to day lives. Film and sports personalities sell themselves as a brand. In the current scenario, we find that political parties also sell themselves as brands. Let us understand some of the principles behind the same.

Fear: Water purifiers are often sold with the message that if you do not buy the purifier, you will fall sick or worse, your sweet little kid will get sick and hospitalised. To prevent the physical and emotional agony, buying the water purifier is what needs to be done. Fear is a primal instinct in human beings and acts as a great way for quick decision-making. In the same way, political parties create fear around certain communities, fear of unpredictable future scenarios, fear of national humiliation, etc. 

Piggybacking: Another effective method is piggybacking on the aura of well-known personalities. A chocolate eaten by Amitabh Bachchan or a retail service endorsed by Shah Rukh Khan becomes special because the attributes and qualities of the famous personalities get associated with the product/service. The increasing use of film and sports personalities in political campaigning is just another instance of building such associations.

Crusader: To be crusading for a cause is one of the most effective ways of selling brands. A crusade to bust the myths around menstruation did more to sell sanitary pads than talking about its functional qualities. In politics, crusades against corruption and poverty, crusades for justice, farmers and equality, etc, have both made and destroyed political brands.

Magic: We all know about advertisements which sell pills to magically reduce weight drastically and bring back youth. In spite of knowing that there are no shortcuts, people tend to believe in such dreams. In films, too, people want hero figures to solve all problems magically. In politics, too, we see such a hero-worship cult which refuses to accept criticism because heroes can do no wrong and can solve all problems. 

In the battle between facts and dreams, dreams always win. We are perhaps the only species which are ready to sacrifice and undergo difficulties for the sake of dreams. So how can we help develop an understanding of branding, advertising and perception management in a responsible and mature manner? 

Advertising should help in enhancing the overall experience based on the core features of products/ services.

People should be made aware of the importance of underlying facts so that they do not get swayed by perceptions alone. 

Media plays a critical role in building perceptions. Perhaps, it was easier to ensure standards when the content came through mass media but with the spread of social media, it has become even more challenging to do so. 

The writer is a senior faculty with National Institute of Design. She thinks that 2+2 is sometimes 4 but it could also be an elephant without a tail!