It has become quite fashionable to say that Brand Launches are a very expensive proposition. It may make the launch more ‘prestigious’ but at the same time it becomes a deterrent to many new entries into a burgeoning marketplace.

I am by no means of imagination an advertising Guru but I have been keenly involved with the trade for over three decades and feel that I have an opinion that needs to be given a chance. To be heard. To be evaluated. And perhaps, to be tried.

You see we were taught and told many years back that advertising is essentially a technology that generates word of mouth which is popularly accepted as the best marketing weapon of all times. And is a function of a media mix that includes everything from press to television, from film to magazines, radio to outdoor and so on.

But what seems to have happened is that skill sets have been sharpened only in some segments to suit the predominant media that was being used. For example, we have hundreds of agencies who propound the use of daily press but very few that talk of radio. Etc. Etc. Etc.

The reason for this may not all be the easy availability of writers who are tuned to the press but may in fact be simply because the Press as a media is more measurable, more structured in terms of prices and a medium that earns the agency more than any other. Radio, like TV and other media still remains in the realms of guesstimates of reach and effectiveness and thus are conveniently swept under the carpet as being more ‘reminder’ media than prime.

This brings us back to the concept of word of mouth. I believe that all media calculations whether they be of simple circulation and reach or OTS and other intimidating alphabets all work on a number, notional or otherwise that represents the multipliability of the medium.

So you have a newspaper with a circulation of a million with a multiple reader factor of 5…that means 5 million people can be reached by the vehicle. Assuming only that a certain percentage of these readers read it is mandatory. But it is also assumed that if the message is convincing enough, relevant enough…then the amount of people one reader talks to and informs about the product or service being advertised is at least 5 or in exceptional cases, 10.

Please note that all figures in this diatribe are being used only as an example based on trend analysis but not on any seriously researched data.

So when you assume that eventually between the people who see your ad and the people who talk about (or are made aware of) your product or service there is a tangible ‘value for money’ equation, press seems to be an option and often the primary medium of choice.

But if for a moment, we assume that relevant reach of word of mouth is the only yardstick that should be used to evaluate media we may find to our surprise that the numbers are not very impressive…or worse still, they could have been achieved at a lower cost.

Of course, parameters matter. Where…when…to who…and how…all these become dimensions that shape the decisions involved in an advertising or promotion exercise.

One of the lessons we were taught by our seniors is that it made a lot of sense to dominate a medium in our attempt to gain significant share of voice. And we were clear that while use of a multiple media always looked comprehensive, it often ended up diluting the overall effort.

Several examples are available in…in fact I am tempted to say…even in Hyderabad.

KSK Energy Ventures Ltd., sponsored a series of feel good films featuring people like Sai Baba, Baba Amte and so on. And managed to get substantial airtime from television channels. The one credit slide at the end of each film gave them tremendous exposure, reflected their humility and other corporate values and built an image in the shortest possible time at the lowest possible cost.

Maha Cement which is a top notch brand today rose from its humble beginnings and grew to great heights based on just one jingle, one film and the use of film, television and wall paintings in a strategically drawn up geography.

When the Electricity Board wanted to launch a campaign to inform people about the dangers of electricity pilferage, they used electric poles and small tin plates on them to become a message at the point of contact.

When they wanted to address the unrest amongst their employees, they used simple docudramas exhibited in arranged on-to-one meetings.

The list can go on and on.

But what caught my attention was not that such a variety of innovations was used, but that most of the time, the innovation was NOT an advertising agency initiative.

Of course there are exceptions and I remember fondly how an agency used matchboxes as a medium for a political party a few years ago. But I think a point can be made about the general lack of interest of traditional agencies in attempting media options that may be more speculative or less remunerative.

So what am I preaching?

Well I believe that brand launches can be done at more reasonable costs. All it needs is the courage of conviction. The plethora of digital media and many unexplored product specific media innovations are easier to mount and substantially reduce the budgets involved with traditional high profile launches.

And I believe that those of us who have benefitted from the advertising profession, need to turn evangelical about this phenomenon and convince clients to take the plunge. With accountability becoming a norm and incentives being common carrots, clients too need to open themselves to some out of the box thinking.

I for one, am all open to a discussion of the many possibilities in this domain.