The world of advertising is a world of politics and conspiracy with the brand and the consumer engaging in a private dialogue in the public dom-ain. The agenda of secrecy is based on the politics of taking the consumer into confidence agai-nst the world. The passing on of some secret is central to this game and brands take this route year after year, enacting a gripping drama of commercial communication and persuasion.

Heroines on the silver screen have whispered their beauty secrets from inside bathtubs. From donkey's milk to Dove soap, from Dhru-padi to dadima, every product or person spins a very convincing beauty yarn for the young and impressionable. Secrets in advertising are so democratic that they are not so-mebody’s selfish trademark. If Madhuri’s se-cret is mesmerising, the testimonial of the girl next door is important and treasured — Dove glorifies wo-men from those with star quality to everyday ones.
The politics of sharing a secret can, sometimes, be as elaborate as the slimming odyssey of telemarketing where obese Western men and women share in monotonous dubbed Hindi how they have restored their slim selves from under voluminous piles of flab by a five-minute-a-day routine consisting of miracle crunching, gyrating or moving like a pendulum on some funny mechanical contraption. People showcase their tent-like, pre-slim outfits to slim-fit, current wear with their peer group whistling and clapping about their victorious fight against flab. But before you recover from the shock of the discovery Lara Dutta whispers
her secret of being slim: “I eat” from the breakfast cereal ad.
There is no respite; there is no escape, and honestly who is really trying to escape? All the ads preach, jaruri hai yaar. You cannot ignore listening to them. The politics behind these sermons and communications are a complete assurance to relax. Brands and products talk like friends and reassure one. Tension maat le, main hoon na. No problem is big, no barrier is insurmountable. Solutions are really available chutki mein; be it a bodyache, or a yellow stain on one’s clothes or blackheads on the tip of one’s nose or crow’s feet under one’s eyes.
With the passage of time the politics of ads have started encompassing our lives from all angles. Bournvita’s politics are to make milk look inactive till the brand activates it through its calcium and Vitamin D power. Cad-bury’s chocolates are busy in a lifelong saga to grab the cultural power centre of meetha. Coke has already played its game and replaced thanda paani with the matlab of Coca-Cola. Cadbury’s Eclairs conspire with the lady shopper to get rid of the over enthusiastic salesman in a recent advertisement. There is no overt ritual to pass on a secret like the good old days. People, products, politics and preaching are seamlessly merged into a conspiracy of consumerism.
And the more products / brands there are coming up with offerings that are challenging traditional perceptions, the more subtle the play of politics in ads becomes.
For instance, diapers are fighting a traditional perception in society that nappies are not good for children. The perception is so strong that those young and modern mothers who put their children into diapers are looked down upon as being lazy and irresponsible. What a selfish mother to put her child into diapers just to avoid the drudgery of changing a nappy — that’s the unspoken dialogue on the mom-in-law’s lips.
The task for a children’s diaper maker is not just removing the doubts of the traditional guardians that diapers are good but also convincing them that their young bahus are not irresponsible; they are more intelligent and sensible.
The Pampers diaper ad is a well crafted one. A worried, young mother opens the door to usher in an elderly lady doctor to treat her baby who has a high fever. The doctor identifies wet nappies as being the cause for a chest infection in the baby.
The young mother asserts that like a dutiful, traditional mother she gets up repeatedly at night to change the wet nappies. The doctor says that even the slightest delay can cause an infection and advises that nappies are not a good idea for baby care at night. Pampers absorb and lock in the liquid and therefore are a more scientific and logical solution.
It is interesting that the elderly doctor talks again-st the traditional practice of her own generation and thus makes the use of Pampers a generation neutral. If the younger generation asks for Pampers, it should be accepted as a better and more improved solution to child care problems. The child will have a good night’s sleep and so will the mother and the brand. Politics well played!

The writer is VP, consumer insight & human futures development, McCann Erickson India. He can be reached at kishore. chakraborti@mccann.com