“Brought To You By…!!”

“This movie is brought to you by…”

“Saturday Wild Nights, brought to you by…”

“The XYZ show, presented by…”

“… in association with…”

“Channel Partner…”

“Radio Partner…”

“ABC Presents…”


Just a few examples of how we see sponsors sponsoring various shows, events, activities… and a whole lotta jargon like that. Well, the list doesn’t end here. There are more things that can be sponsored; “Brought to you by”!

We see brands being given “visibility” in a whole lot of ways. Bus stands, autorickshaws, sports teams, movies (in a surrogate manner, Taal being a great example), LPG cylinders, multiplexes, etc.

I was wondering, how many avenues are left now? Almost everything that you can lay eye on can be used as a medium to give a brand some visibility. The marketing of a plethora of products and services exposes you to a multitude of color and creativity. But the question still remains… Is it really necessary? Well, the fruitfulness of all this marketing would need a different post altogether, and we might do it at a later stage. As of now, I would wanna concentrate on the initial thought that I had in mind.

In this age, every marketing mind fights for mind space. The more the visibility of the product, the higher the recall, leading to higher sales, eventually leading to higher profit margins. No rocket science here. Basic priniciple of marketing.

The question that I often ask myself is, how much is enough? When and where does it stop? Will it ever stop? This sudden explosion of “Brand Presence” in our daily lives…

Just as a thought. It’s quite possible that very soon we might find brands being made visible at places we never thought of. For example, let’s say, a school.

We have already seen brands getting a certain amount of visibility there as well, but in a different manner. Like on pencil boxes, tiffin boxes, copy covers, name labels etc.

What I am talking about are the unusual avenues. Intervals, for example, might be one of them. Just imagine, just before the bell begins to ring to declare that the interval has begun, there is an announcement made on the school PA system installed in every room – “This interval is brought to you by ACME Health Foods. Eat Healthy, Grow Healthy.”

The children step out of their classrooms and go to the field, where there are banners all around, displaying various health drinks, sports goods, kids’ apparels etc, of course keeping in mind the “Target Group”.

The biology class, for example, can be “Brought to you by” EFGH Surgical Instruments, or by a certain brand of Sanitary Napkins, or contraceptives for that matter. Of course, they ARE related to the nature of the subject!

The library could have an “Official Book Store Partner”, the staff room could be “Presented By LMNO Furniture”, the common room could have an official “Hospitality Partner”, the amphitheatre may have an “Entertainment Partner” and the dispensary might be “Associated With Dr. Doc’s Hospital and Clinic”! After all, it’s always good if you “Catch Them Young”!





What’s next? Bald heads of men and bellies of pregnant women?


Just a passing thought… You too, are free to think on this.


Love, Peace n' Harmony
Sam.

© Prateek Sharma Jun 2008