Indian advertising uses the 'fear' factor

The world of brand advertising follows a very similar note. In developing markets, if you dig deeper into why people buy brands, buried is the emotion of fear.

At a functional level, it's fear of whether the product is good enough. Brands provide the consumer with a reassurance of quality, something most consumers are uncomfortable in deciding for themselves.

At an emotional level, brands provide a crutch - from making them feel better about themselves to getting them feel superior to others - actually tapping into a latent fear of feeling inferior in the social world. Yet when brands go out and talk, they tend to address positive emotions rather than actually stir emotions of fear and helplessness.

David Ogilvy, a guru of advertising in the 50s and 60s, said it is better for advertising to sell hope rather than fear; highlight the solution rather than the problem; create amazement rather than shock.

However, popular culture is replete with examples - from books to movies to video games - where people actually pay for and enjoy being "scared". Whether it is mystery novels or Dracula movies, there is deep within the human psyche an attraction to fear. The ability to confront it gives vicarious pleasure to the mind, makes one feel braver and stronger.

In Indian natya and nitya shastra, bhaya is the rasa used to evoke fear to involve audiences. It is about the subtle and nameless anxiety caused by a presentiment of evil, the feelings of helplessness evoked by a mighty and cruel ruler, and the terror felt while facing certain death.

It's about the fear for one's well being and safety, the feeling evoked while facing something that is far bigger and more powerful than oneself. 'Bhaya'  is the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless. Dread, cowardice, agitation, discomposure, panic and timidity are all aspects of the emotion of fear.

Indian advertising uses 'Bhaya' rasa in three ways:

Raise anxiety: This is the most popular form addressing mainly the woman - mother and wife - and her "care-giving" persona. The active concern for her near and dear ones gives advertising an opportunity to raise her anxiety levels towards unseen but existent enemies.

So, Pepsodent is about 'dishum dishu'" against germs caused by food; Dettol and Lifebouy is about 'dirt' germs that can cause disease and Saffola is about today's stressful life in general that makes her husband susceptible to "lifestyle" diseases at an early age.

The anxieties may not necessarily be disease-related - Complan is based on a mother's normal concern of "is my child growing right" and "sugar-free" is about not looking good and feeling fit! Interestingly, anxiety is raised either explicitly as in the case of Pepsodent and Dettol; or a little more implicitly as in Complan.

'Bhaya' rasa clearly gives birth to the "Care-giver" brand archetype where the brand is an aid in familial care expression. This works when the audience is inherently concerned and all that advertising needs to do is raise the tablestakes.

Demonstrate Danger: This is less frequently used - because of the Indian cultural resistance to talk about death and illness openly and because marketing theory often states that you sell benefits - positive stories - with brands rather than highlight fears. There is a hypothesis that people tune off negative emotions and visuals - and are unaccepting of dangers. Yet, when you want to break inertia, fear helps to be most dramatic.

It just forces the viewer to notice and listen. Saffola did it very successfully in the early 90s with its visual of "a husband being wheeled into an Operation theatre with the background sounds of an ambulance siren". On a more sombre note, the fear of rejection for a "dark" girl has been a story for 'Fair and Lovely' and it has been scorned upon by society as bad taste.

However, not surprisingly, it works! Public Service advertising tends to take such issues head on quite often - perhaps less constrained by brand theory - and so tends to be more hard hitting. A recent campaign.

Appealing to people to be more careful while immigrating shows real people "cheated by false promises of agents". Gullibility and ignorance are best addressed by this form. A variation is about demonstrating danger "light-heartedly" - the way Anchor shock proof switches have done over the years. When the fear is known, it works; else it ends being taken up casually.

Arousing tension: This is perhaps the most difficult to do in advertising - whether it's a 30-second commercial or a half-page press advertisement within much editorial matter. However, two recent commercials for Neo Sports - promoting the India-Pakistan series - do exactly that. The executions capture the tension one experiences while watching the border rivals play.

The first shows a woman leaving the gas stove on and then captures visuals of people, ignorant of this, trying to light a fire in the house for different reasons. Tension builds as to when the house could explode.

The second, a little more filmi but just as effective, shows a young girl tied to a chair trying to free herself with her kidnapper asleep alongside. The fear that she could cause a sound and awaken her kidnapper just grips the viewer as he vicariously participates in the event almost wanting to shout "Hey! Be careful".  It's the use of 'bhaya' rasa at its best - Hitchcock in advertising!

In the late 90s, when the government wanted to promote iodised salt, it used the 'fear of goitre and stunted growth' to make the point. At the same time, brands used the concept of 'intelligent' children to convey the benefit. Conventional marketing talks of brands and brand propositions being of benefits; but sometimes there may be a case, especially in developing markets, to see brands as a means to overcome human bhaya - address the fears directly. They could be more powerful.

Something worth thinking about.

The author is country head, discovery and planning, Ogilvy, India.