We present to you the first edition of Canvas- The Newsletter of Marketing Club of IIM Rohtak

1. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
CANVAS
Shock Marketing Shockvertising
How many shock volts can you handle?
"Shockvertising" is a way
to jolt our senses, to cause
an immediate reaction.
Shock is sometimes used by
marketers to grab the
attention of consumers
before applying the sales
pitch. Shocking titles,
pictures or actions never fail
to get the attention of an
audience. Think about the
last time you heard
something about any
business that made you look
up their website. In the
overflow of information
these days; how does your
business stand out?
While it can be an
effective tactic it is
Marketing is fun. Its making money business and the world. Each edition of important to
and everything else that matters while having Canvas is based on a central theme from the understand when to use
it and when not to.
a blast. Marketing is a way of life. And we marketing world of today.
in Marque, the marketing club of IIM The first edition is all about Shock -Matthew Bywater
Rohtak, know it fully well. Marketing. So, how many shock volts can
Canvas is the Newsletter of Marque, you handle?
bringing to words and life the various - Bharadwaj Battaram
concepts put in practice and evolving in Marque
Sneak Peak
• Social Issues - Tanuj Goyal
• ROM Chocolate - Akshay Gupta
• Barnardo’s - Ankur Shukla
• United Colors of Benetton - Harsh Gupta
! PAGE 1

2. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
SHOCK ADVERTISING – SOCIAL ISSUES
All social awareness campaigns can broadly be the commercial spheres and has been in use for long
divided into two categories – now.
a) social malpractice Shockvertising is widely used in lot of countries
b) health problems caused due to negligent for the promotion of anti-smoking initiatives. WHO
behavior and/or bad habits also suggests pictures of rotting lungs, miscarried
Any such campaign that aims at influencing a foetuses and bleeding brains should be put on all
prevalent social belief or a persistent behavior of an tobacco packages because they are effective in
individual must perform three important functions: preventing tobacco use.
generate awareness about the consequences of these Due to the anxiety these ads tend to create there
practices/behaviors, persuade people to avoid these remains a higher probability that the person
behaviors and provide them support and guidance watching them will discuss it with others. This is
for the same. very important in the case of advertisements issued
“How to draw the attention of the target in the interest of general public where the success of
audiences so as to impart a long lasting impression a campaign solely depends upon the number of
which in turn will lead to increased participation and persons to which the message could be delivered.
higher success?” is the question that arises. This is
where shock advertising gains importance.
Controversial by the very nature of it, shock
advertising makes deliberate use of blunt slogans,
provocative images and bold statements that
challenge conventional understanding of social order
and generally accepted norms thereby causing instant
attention. It’s a much exploited marketing strategy in
Stop domestic violence
- Tanuj Goyal
IIM Rohtak
! PAGE 2

3. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
ROM CHOCOLATE of national ego and pride in the decided right from the start that
Common sense would dictate Romanians. they would run the American
that a marketing campaign The marketing campaign ROM for just a week, regardless
challenging the nationalist pride became a point of discussion of the response, and then switch
of your target market is not the across the country, and the back to the original packaging.
best way to promote your Romanians felt like they had lost Also, it might be safe to assume
product. The marketing team at a national symbol. A wave of that McCann would have done
ROM Chocolate surely didn’t patriotism swept through the the analysis of the market before
think so. And going by the country, and citizens stood launching a campaign of this
immediate response to the united to defend the Romanian sort, which might have resulted
campaign, they sure got that culture and their own flag. Flash in the brand name getting
right. mobs, Facebook groups, Youtube destroyed. Such a campaign
videos and debates on prime time obviously might not have worked
ROM Chocolate is a in most other countries, where
Romanian chocolate bar, with television were organized to
protest the change. Meanwhile, a the changing of the national flag
the Romanian flag on its to the American flag might have
packaging since its launch in dedicated McCann team
responded to comments posted been seen as a political agenda.
1964. This strategy had helped So, it is essential that shock
them be the most popular online, and did their part to feed
the debates. marketing also be carried out in
chocolate in Romania till an ethical, non-offensive and
recently, when it had started ROM let this public outcry professional manner.
losing its market share to continue for a week, before
American brands such as informing the public that the Shock marketing is utilized
Snickers. Romania had been American ROM was actually a by a number of brands today, and
going through political and hoax, and returning to the ROM, along with McCann
economic crises, and the morale market with the original ROM Erickson, has certainly taken
within the country was low. The packaging. Simultaneously, they advantage of the Romanian pride
youth, especially, had started also launched a ROM Anthem in to reinvent their brand, and
looking up to everything Romanian to tap into the newly customer loyalty to it. At the
American, including their rekindled patriotic passion. The same time, they also managed to
chocolates, and the Romanian campaign was a resounding achieve a more substantial goal,
association of ROM was success – within the first two which no sales figures could
becoming quite meaningless in weeks, the campaign reached match up to. They managed to
this scenario. 67% of Romanians. It managed unite the people of Romania
to generate 300,000 Euros worth towards a common goal,
Enter, McCann Erickson something that is hardly heard of
Romania. Instead of trying to of publicity without having to
pay a cent for it, and the number in today’s world. So, it is safe to
fight the growing apathy of the say that this marketing strategy
youth, they decided to join them. of fans of the ROM Facebook by ROM was one of shock and
page increased by 300%. ROM
ROM decided an overnight went on the become Romania’s awe, while containing a hidden
change in their packaging. most popular chocolate bar with social agenda as well.
Instead of the Romanian flag, a 79% increase in sales, and The icing on the cake for
their chocolate now had the outperformed the market by ROM and McCann Erickson
American flag on it. It was now 20% in the most relevant Romania -.their campaign won
advertised with a number of channels. two Grand Prix awards at the
taglines such as “The Taste of 2011 Cannes Lions Festival of
Coolness”, “Let’s Build America Some would argue that ROM
went a step too far by testing the Creativity. Also, the American
Here”, “Patriotism Won’t Feed ROM was sold out, as a
You”, and “The American Dream ego of a nation with their Collector’s Edition item.
now in the Romanian campaign. Indeed it was a huge
Chocolate”. The purpose of this risk, and could have heavily
shock tactic was to instill a sense backfired. However, ROM went - Akshay Gupta
ahead with it, and managed to IIM Rohtak
come out unscathed. They had
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4. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
GIVING CHILDREN BACK THEIR FUTURE (1999 - 2000)
This campaign included seven press advertisements
which depicted children in adult situations, such as a
baby injecting heroin, a toddler clutching a bottle of
whisky and another preparing to commit suicide. The
advertisements aimed to show what potentially
disastrous adulthoods await many of the disadvantaged
and vulnerable young people Barnardo's works with.
According to the copy, John is a 23 year old drug addict;
however, in the image a baby is shown, complete
contrast to portray the gravity of the situation.
In all the advertisements, there is a sharp contrast
between the child and the background. The child is
white in color and the background is dark and violent.
The objects like injections and bottle of whisky are used
to shock people and make them realize that these
children need their immediate help.
BARNARDO’S, UK
years Barnardo's was relatively Almost 80 per cent of the
quiet about its new areas of public in UK think it is
work, which resulted in low justifiable for charities to use
public awareness of Barnardo's shock tactics in their advertising,
and what we did. This according to a survey by pollsters
encouraged Barnardo's to re- YouGov. Eighty-two per cent said
Barnardo's is a British charity think its approach and so they shock tactics were acceptable if
founded by Thomas John tasked the advertising agency they raised awareness of
Barnardo in 1866, to care for Bartle, Bogle & Hegarty (BBH) domestic violence and 78 per
vulnerable children and young in 1998, with raising awareness cent said the same was true of
people. Barnardo's used to be a and repositioning Barnardo's as child poverty.
children’s charity famous for its modern, relevant and deserving
orphanages, which in 1966 they by bringing the public up-to-date
began to close. Over the next 30 with the vital work they do.
BARNARDOS’ SHOCK ADVERTISING
“A good basic selling idea, involvement and relevancy, of course, are as important as ever, but in the advertising days of
today, unless you make yourself noticed and believed, you ain't got nothing”. Every day we come across hundreds of
advertisements which grab our attention. They have in them that one unexpected factor, that one difference, that
one little thing that sometimes takes us by surprise and is shocking to our senses.
! PAGE 4

5. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
CHILD POVERTY CAMPAIGN (2003)
The campaign is largely regarded as the charity's
most controversial print advertisement which was
banned by The Advertising Standards Authority. This
image of a newborn baby attracted a storm of
controversy, after another leading children's charity
claimed it was 'insulting to the very people they purport
to help'. However, Barnardo's stuck by its campaign to
raise awareness of how children born into poverty will
grow up to be living in squalor, addicted to alcohol or
drugs and be involved in crime.
Image of the cockroach is synonymous with the
concept of squalor in which the baby will develop. The
idea of cockroach was to shock people and to make them think
about what they can do to help children like the one used in this
advert. In the other poster, they incorporated a well
known saying into the campaign, if you were born with a
silver spoon in your mouth it means that you're spoilt
and given everything you want whereas the saying is
turned on its head 'There are no silver spoons for children
born into poverty'. The other items used in the campaigns
were newspaper adverts, broadsheet press and
methylated spirit bottle. The strengths of the campaigns
are the images used because it rea$y demonstrates the
seriousness of the topic and communicates the message we$.
NEW LIFE CAMPAIGN (2005)
seeking to make them unmissable.” The
parodying the concept of birth can
be offending for some. The advert of
a girl growing up being abused is
both visually shocking and
stimulating. The images of a girl
abused and looking at you with
hope, stir emotions in you and it
forces your senses to take some
steps. The issue of prostitution and
The concept behind the ‘new abuse of teenage girls is an issue
life’ campaign is that Barnardo’s which has a very negative
gives children a better start in life, connotation and the negative
and therefore the chance of a better emotions have been visually
future. Again in this campaign, they captured and presented to shock the
have used visually stimulating viewers. The images make you feel
images. Quoting, Andrew Nebel, the responsible for their plight if you
charity's director of fundraising, don’t take any steps to save them.
marketing and communications, “I The step is to donate money to
can honestly say we were not trying to Barnardo’s charity group
shock for theatrical purposes. We were
- Ankur Shukla
IIM Rohtak
! PAGE 5

6. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT AD ABOUT?
Shock Marketing is a type of marketing that becomes involved in a process of answering the
“deliberately, rather than inadvertently, startles and questions: What does this image mean? Why does this
offends its audience by violating norms for social values image appears with the Benetton logo? How do I feel
and personal ideals.” about the subject of the image? What can I do? When
This form of advertising is often controversial, images have shock value, they attract many people’s
disturbing, explicit and may bring out provocative attention. People are bound to think about the image in
political message; may not only offend but can frighten the ad and thus know some of the world’s problems in
as well; uses scare tactics and elements of fear to sell a the process.
product or deliver a public service message, making a Benetton’s shocking ads are designed to raise public
“high impact.” It is often considered to have been awareness of social issues, issues that are global and
pioneered by Benetton, the Italian clothing retailers universal. Using shocking images people are forced to
which created the line United Colors of Benetton, and think about the topic.
its advertisements in the late 1980s. The ads only have an image that grabs audience
Today, Benetton Group is present in 120 countries attention in just a glance and a logo. The company
around the world. Its retail network of 5,000 carries out a single campaign that runs all over the
contemporary stores around the world, offers high world. These ads do not tell anyone to buy company’s
quality customer services and generates a total turnover products and don’t even imply it. Because Benetton's
of over 1.9 billion euro. The group provides employment clothes are sold around the world, the expenses incurred
to 7,987 people around the world. to tailor campaigns to specific national markets would
Benetton’s intuitional campaigns carry a big idea, a have been enormous. To reduce these high costs, UCB
unique concept of showing shocking images to the brings the world's markets together by using a single
world. The idea behind using shocking images was an advertisement that would appeal to many cultures, races,
effort by Benetton to breakthrough the complacency religions, and lifestyles. The attempt is only to promote
that exists in our society. Removing these images from discussion about issues which people might ignore if
their familiar contexts and putting them in a new presented to them through some other channel. Hence,
context, makes them more likely noticed, as the viewer it is an advertising that speaks across all cultural
boundaries and raises social awareness by presenting
powerful human and universal themes.
UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON
Because the guidelines for acceptable advertisements vary throughout the world, Benetton's campaigns were
praised in some countries and damned in others. For example, a photograph of a priest and a nun kissing did not
produce the extreme outcry in the United States as it did in Vatican City.
- Harsh Gupta
IIM Rohtak
! PAGE 6

7. MARQUE! 6 OCTOBER 2011
Marque - IIM Rohtak
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