Advertising should lay claim to be the world's second oldest profession.( after all even a prostitute had to advertise her services) And every one, from a 3 year old to an eighty year old has an opinion on every ad they see. But does it really matter?
In today's age of social media where any one can air their views on anything it is easy for an advertiser to get swayed by some posts or the number of likes they had or a tweet and how many retweeted the same. What matters is whether your target group has an opinion or like. Forget the millions of the universe, focus on the thousands of your TG.
Easier said than done. Who exactly is your TG? An 18-45 year old female could be an undergraduate teenager, a youngster with a new job, a newly married housewife or a mother of two with a part time job.....
Or is it the customer or the consumer? Any difference between the two? You will be surprised, a lot.
Consumer is not too difficult. They are they people who ultimately consume or use your product. It could be a 6 year old who consumes Maggi Noodles, it could be a 10 year old who is influenced by Boost's "secret of my energy" or it could be the 30 year old who is buying the latest iPhone. But are they the customers too? The answer is no. The customer in the case of Maggi or Boost is the mother who has bought the brands. And in the case of iPhone it is also the retailer who is stocking the iPhone. In fact even the wholesalers and stockists are the customers for Boost and Maggi. So consumer consumes and customer buys. Simple.
Let's look at Horlicks and Boost. These are both health drinks which are consumed by children. But Horlicks talks to the mother ie the customer and Boost to the child ie the consumer. That differentiates the two brands. Once the TG is sure then the tone of voice, personality etc comes into play. That's why you will find such a big difference in the two brands. Clarity on the consumer or customer defines not only the advertising but also the brand postioning and personality.
Now lets look at Bournvita. Of late (Tayari jeet ki), like Horlicks it talks to the mom. its tone of voice, its personality is all targeting the mother (not housewife....there is a distinction here also). The added bonus it has is its appeal to the child. But that's a bonus not a mandatory.
Customers need not be part of the advertising execution. But consumers always are. Lifebuoy ads today have hardly any mother but the TG of these ads are mothers, the customers. Whereas the children are the core of execution.
And what about Maggi. Its 2 minutes appeal has always targeted the customer- the mother. In fact Maggi has widened its consumer base to family and its customer has also evolved from a housewife into a mother. But Maggi's TG has always been the customer and not consumer.
Its important that advertising is clear in its distinction of customer and consumer. One need not always target the consumer as the customer could be equally important. But do not confuse.
And next time you write a brief or even a case study be sure if you are talking about a consumer or a customer.
In today's age of social media where any one can air their views on anything it is easy for an advertiser to get swayed by some posts or the number of likes they had or a tweet and how many retweeted the same. What matters is whether your target group has an opinion or like. Forget the millions of the universe, focus on the thousands of your TG.
Easier said than done. Who exactly is your TG? An 18-45 year old female could be an undergraduate teenager, a youngster with a new job, a newly married housewife or a mother of two with a part time job.....
Or is it the customer or the consumer? Any difference between the two? You will be surprised, a lot.
Consumer is not too difficult. They are they people who ultimately consume or use your product. It could be a 6 year old who consumes Maggi Noodles, it could be a 10 year old who is influenced by Boost's "secret of my energy" or it could be the 30 year old who is buying the latest iPhone. But are they the customers too? The answer is no. The customer in the case of Maggi or Boost is the mother who has bought the brands. And in the case of iPhone it is also the retailer who is stocking the iPhone. In fact even the wholesalers and stockists are the customers for Boost and Maggi. So consumer consumes and customer buys. Simple.
Let's look at Horlicks and Boost. These are both health drinks which are consumed by children. But Horlicks talks to the mother ie the customer and Boost to the child ie the consumer. That differentiates the two brands. Once the TG is sure then the tone of voice, personality etc comes into play. That's why you will find such a big difference in the two brands. Clarity on the consumer or customer defines not only the advertising but also the brand postioning and personality.
Now lets look at Bournvita. Of late (Tayari jeet ki), like Horlicks it talks to the mom. its tone of voice, its personality is all targeting the mother (not housewife....there is a distinction here also). The added bonus it has is its appeal to the child. But that's a bonus not a mandatory.
Customers need not be part of the advertising execution. But consumers always are. Lifebuoy ads today have hardly any mother but the TG of these ads are mothers, the customers. Whereas the children are the core of execution.
And what about Maggi. Its 2 minutes appeal has always targeted the customer- the mother. In fact Maggi has widened its consumer base to family and its customer has also evolved from a housewife into a mother. But Maggi's TG has always been the customer and not consumer.
Its important that advertising is clear in its distinction of customer and consumer. One need not always target the consumer as the customer could be equally important. But do not confuse.
And next time you write a brief or even a case study be sure if you are talking about a consumer or a customer.
