Cynicism is often an effective handle, especially in the media business. It helps you dismiss most things with great style and disdain, even escaping arguments of substance.
But humour is a handier tool, especially if it is underpinned by fact: Check out the News18 India campaign that celebrates the channel's Numero Uno slot in Hindi news.
The 'Aaj Ka No. 1' campaign has caught the fancy of media watchers, advertisers and the common people alike. The campaign is high-decibel, no doubt: it's there on the front pages in frontline general and business newspapers and in the prime slot on TV channels. But the reasons for its high acceptance go beyond this.
The campaign is proving to be different things to different people. For some, it's cheeky and funny, building on the '18=1' series of radio and TV ads run by Network18, News18 India's parent and India's largest media network.
"When I first heard it on radio, I was puzzled as to what kind of ad would say 'Kal Tak Tha Sabse Tez'. But then as the ad played out, I thought it was a very smart one and really stood out from the clutter. It really freshened things up," said Deepti, a BPO executive.
Deepti was referring to News18 India's cheeky campaign that pitted it against TV Today's Aaj Tak's 'Sabse Tez' tagline.
The campaign is based on findings by BARC India, an industry body measuring TV audience that eventually helps companies plan their media spends.
According to a BARC study, TV18's News18 India is the number one TV channel at prime time in urban India, the most important market for any consumer company. The findings put the Network18 channel ahead of its rivals -- Aaj Tak, Zee News and ABP News.
News18 India is not the first entity to use the comparison weapon cleverly. Remember the famous ad 'Minto – all mint, no hole' campaign by Candico in early 2000, a counter to 'Nestle Polo – the mint with a hole'.
But as advertising veteran Emmanuel Upputuru put it, most of such comparative advertising nowadays is adopted by media companies.
"Comparative advertising is one of the oldest tricks available for media. If you are ahead in any manner, you will go to town with it. It's a good factor in valuing the company," said Upputuru, founder of Gurugram-based creative agency ITSA.
Ravi D'Abreo, founder of Bengaluru-based advertising agency Origami Creative, is a Network18 fan and a keen follower of its various platforms, be it Moneycontrol, Firstpost or CNBC TV18. D'Abreo says comparative advertising helps attract attention.
"If you can get someone to say 18=1, people will say I want to watch that channel and then if I like the content, I am hooked," D'abreo said.
Upputuru said such campaigns help connect with not just common people but also clients and employees.
"It's good for clients who are investing their money and it's also good for staff. It's good for the ecosystem," he said.
What really works for the News18 India campaign is that it uses its rivals' copy effectively against them, by making clever tweaks.
"I read 'soch badlo, channel badlo'. And my mind first went straight to Zee. But then I realised it's a News18 advertisement and that put a smile on my face. I couldn't help go switch on the channel," said Aman, who runs his own company servicing and maintaining industrial machines. According to him, the ad carries a surprise element and a positive one at that.
"It does the job of bringing in the audience," said D'Abreo.
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