The ‘Live Chat’ show on ‘Advertising’ turned out to be a quite light programme. As the name indicates, we chat live on air 😉
The starting point for the discussion was in fact the decision of the govt to ban all adverts on billboards for alcoholic drinks as from 7th July.
As I explained to host Sadhna Teeluckdharry there are no studies that prove there’s a direct and strong impact of ads for alcohol upon people’s behaviour (in terms of buying and consumption) just like for any other type of product or service for that matter. Of course, we must acknowledge that ads have some form of influence on people (otherwise firms wouldn’t spend so much money on ad campaigns) but their influence cannot be isolated. There are a host of many other factors that are intermingling to produce the kind of society we have. We can’t put all of the blame on ads.
Will this ban on ads for alcohol help reduce drastically the consumption of alcohol? Not so sure… The approach should be more holistic (e.g. provide information and educate youngsters, provide people with the necessary cultural, social and educational framework, ensure the provision of healthy activities for all…)
La question est: ki alternative pe propose banne zom ki all boire dan bar pou passe passe zot le temps ek gagne ene kick?
Sex again…
We also talked about shocking ads, for instance using sexual allusions and the female body in ads. This seemed to preoccupy many of the callers who were quite confused about the ideas they wanted to express… Personally, I do not see that many shocking ads on the local scene in terms of the sexual overtones but I do see some ugly ads though as well as some vulgar media creations here and there. This can most probably be explained by advertisers’ lack of ‘finesse’ and money to invest in good intelligent creation.
All ads and all agencies cannot be put in the same bag. Some creations are quite interesting and do win awards on the regional scene, which is a sign of some progress in the mauritian adscape!
“Will this ban on ads for alcohol help reduce drastically the consumption of alcohol? Not so sure…”
I fully agree with you, the correlation must be studied and proven. These types of knee jerk reactions, as chat sessions become, are most of the time shallow and are of little value. We have to be wiser by sequencing properly our deeds: listening, thinking, consulting, discerning, strategizing and then action or speaking out. Too often, chats are results of stimulus -> reaction chain without any thinking.
As regards the use of sex to chock and attract attention, the public would discern the good from the bad. Advertisers know that overloads become cumbersome and stop to create attraction. I have no doubt that the public will sanction the gross offenders. As with Bollywood when kissing was a definite âno goâ? only a decade ago, society are seduced by scenes passed the suggestive state.
Keep on blogging…. 3.20 am was your blog time stamp…Thanks
Unfortunately knee jerk reactions seem to be ‘monnaie courante’ in this country. The Savriacooty affair is but one of the latest examples. An affair which has probably stirred up passions not so much for the alleged scandalous treatment of the woman as for the opportunity to give way to ‘natural’ voyeuristic tendencies.
I’m sure most people, whilst publicly displaying intense indignation, were feasting on the crude details to satisfy their inward phantasms.