Magic is one of the most fascinating words across langua-ges and civilisations. It takes ownership of a domain of believable impossibilities. A construct that satisfies the irrational desires lurking inside us.
Magic challenges the limits of human comprehension and reaffirms that there are more things on heaven and earth than are explained by logic.
No wonder “magic” is the favourite word of the branding, advertising and communication world. Magic is always new; because its mystery has not been fathomed; it denotes some secret that has been fiercely guarded like the formula of Coca Cola. In the path of evolution magic has metamorphosed. One major proof of that is the way the construct of the magician changes. The Houdinis and P.C. Sarkars with cloaks, knives and daggers, hats and pagdis have vanished into the pages of history. The setting of magic shows have shifted from dark, dimly lit auditoriums to open streets and broad daylight. A David Blaine or a Yogesh Sarkar is almost indistinguishable from the masses. People do not rush to see their magic; they come and bump into people in open streets, café corners, shopping malls, campuses, workplaces, much like the old Indian madari and rope trick players. If you have magic show us. If we like it we will reward you — plain and simple.
Magic has been domesticated — and therefore has become a staple for us. To be honest we have shifted our lives into magic mode; nothing short of magic satisfies us. The world of magic is fast becoming white and positive; in the past it was associated with sorcery, alchemy, voodoo; the black and the sinister.
As magic changes its colour it demands more from those wizards of words and visuals in the advertising world who are entrusted to communicate the new magic to the novelty-hungry customers of today.
Clients demand more magic than logic in the communication campaign designed by the dream merchants. Chloromint has lit up cities; Mountain Dew has conquered fear; Chatarpatar has opened up the ‘shutter’ of the mouth; Xbox has taken viewers to the magic village where farmers fly and the housewife flicks rotis from the pan to reach the plate of her husband working in the field. The magic mantra of Nirma freezes the muddy waters on the street; Tide continues to surprise consumers on the street, shops and markets and the Garnier Fructose girl yanks a truck stuck in the mud with her hair! Products and services are engaged in a constant battle to make themselves obsolete and replace themselves with more magical offerings. The 2G zozoos look wide-eyed at the magic of the 3G zozoo as it splits the ball at the bowling alley to tackle two extreme targets.
As more and more technology takes over and starts controlling our lives there will be a seamless transformation from the world of vision to that of manifestation. Tech bra-nds like Apple, Nokia, Microsoft, all play in this genre and they will continue to open new horizons. But the real challenge, I think, will be in the personal and beauty care product category; because more than any other brands, this plays in the zone of smoke and
mirror — the eternal human desire to transform oneself into a more beautiful creature.
The writer is VP, consumer insight & human futures development, McCann Erickson India. He can be reached at kishore. chakraborti@mccann.com [1]
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[1] mailto:chakraborti@mccann.com