Have you ever wondered why the marketing guys called the consumer “the Target Audience”?

It because, in the world every product will find its own market and every brand has a bunch of loyal cohorts. Before identifying a finite set of consumers, a problem needs to be spotted. It can be an overt or a latent need. To further investigate, the research agency brings in their insights regarding the demographic & the psychographic of the consumer. This makes communication, branding, selling and marketing a science. In short every product/brand addresses, reflects or portrays a sect of people, who inturn are their loyal consumers or would-be consumers. Therefore it’s serious, because it reflects the mindset of the target audience in the society. Why so serious? Just chill, everything is in place. Shows the casual way out for a serious consumer involved buying. But a dangerous trend evolving as a mindset. Just think seriously.

Honda generally operates in the niche segment aimed at middle-aged people looking for a second car but for the first time it has shifted to the younger generation. The “One Life, So serious” was coined to give the message that instead of starting with a small car, you can put in a little more and get urself a luxurious hatchback.

While the opinions on the right attitude towards life are true, I don’t think this particular advertisement does anything except pitch its product to the audience. If Honda come up with another luxurious high-end car, you can be sure they will have a different slogan running with it.

I agree with the author and Geo that the ad here is just a point of reference of what few want to or try to dictate through such ads. It’s not the ad that needs to be debated upon, rather the message behind it. Yeah, there are times when we need to rejoice and times when we have to be serious. But altogether a fun, carefree attitude for eternity may just be inches away from insanity.

Yet given the current circumstances globally, be it economical, social, philosophical or spiritual, the ad-makers seem to have found the right nerve…lack of fun.

The ad leaves a long lasting impression or not is uncertain. But what is certain is that some people will surely relate to it out of sheer escapism tendency. And that is a matter of seriousness.

However, I think, the ad is only being used as a reference by the author. If he saw the watch company ad about ‘Move on’ perhaps he would write a similar blog! And why not, he certainly has a point.

As far as I know, the ad world either ‘creates’ or ‘caters to’. They either create an ‘expectation’ or cater to one. Only that makes business sense. So either they are spending that money to create a need or desire in the viewers or are catering to the ones already existing in them!

We really can’t many times pin point if it is the current trends that motivate ad men to make the ads as they do or is it the ads that influence and create new trends in the society! In either case, it is scary. It means that a select few people, backed by media power, dictate what happens to or is highlighted in society.

I am raising two daughters as of now and God has made them beautiful. But the currents trends do not give me a lot of confidence or hope about what awaits me and them. I admit that it is scary. I can chose to ignore this ad, but I can’t ignore emerging trends in society. I can’t help, but being serious.

Even though the campaign might run for only two months i guess it will leave a lasting impression on many. Many will make it the way of living for themselves…if not in every thing definitely for certain things in life….recently there was a watch co. asking youngsters to ‘move on’…clearly suggesting a way of life….hang on to nothing even relationships…

Most ad campaigns seem to be suggesting at a carefree…no strings attached…’who cares’ style of living…The product sells but at what cost?? Well nobody seems to bother as far as the product sells and they make money…The blog seems to be spotting some subtle moves not obvious to everybody on the street…

Well written..

At the same time I would like to clarify that when we give it some hope then it seems as if the campaign only looks at some prospect buyers who are trying to fill the voids in their lives by a hatchback, so does Honda have a moral responsibility to tell these people that, “Look friends and prospects, we must mention before we sell you our car that you can derive the same satisfaction which you get from buying the Jazz through other things like, yoga, social service, community building.”? I don’t think so!

Maj Ramani(may his soul rest in peace) was my age, while I was busy selling media solutions to clients and planning my next leisure trip he was battling the enemy with all might in the grime and dust of the valley aware of the very threat to his life and fighting for a safer place for all of us a place where everyone including people his age could go on with their lives normally!

The 2 year old child who spent the last 20 minutes of his life in trying to protect his life with his small sized fingers from the very man who ironically happened to his father, strange times we live in!