Indians are too Sentimental

“Use mobile, save paper” A hallmark with a huge tree in its centre, read. At first few of us would think it’s a hallmark of some environmental agency or some non government organization that promotes the cause of environmental protection or forest protection. But as we look at the hallmark in its entirety we come to know that it is a hallmark of a cellular company! A business organization! A profit making organization! Can you believe it?!! If you ask these question to an American he would probably faint! But to an Indian profit making business organization talking about social topics like environment, education, employement, public health and so on is much common. There is a reason for this. Because you cannot expect profit making companies and organizations to spend crores of rupees to promote the cause of society. No investor in the world would like his company spend on social causes and reduce the return on investment he has made.

Someone would say its part of social responsibility. But there is a difference between social responsibility and publicity based on socially acceptable advertisements (i.e. Social advertisements) or should I say socially hyped advertisements! Social responsibility is something about development of social infrastructure, conservation of energy resources, reduction in pollution by using adequate means to filter out the ingredients of the pollution being released in the atmosphere, etc. But here what is happening creation of advertisements that find the moral attachment with the viewers.

Some companies contribute a small portion of their revenue per unit of their sale (or probably just show that they are doing so) for social causes such as education, environment, etc.

What is the reason of such social large heartedness amongst the corporates in India. This is because Indians are too sentimental or moral. They also like to see those moral values amongst the corporates. So the corporates show them that they possess those values, the values that an average Indian family possesses and gain tremendous favoritism amongst the Indian people and Indian customers. The companies who use social publicity do gain a lot in a sentimental market like India. Companies have to wear white clothes even though their deeds behind the white cloak may be as black as it can be otherwise no one will purchase their products.

It must be understood that social objectives combined with economic objectives cannot survive. Any corporate promoting itself to be more socially acceptable than other corporates is yet another metaphor! We Indians must stop becoming happy at shallow advertisements that exploit our sentimental attitude. Its really time to look at these advertisements in their right perspective. They are nothing but an attempt to arouse your love for the society / country so that the company can sell more products on moral grounds.

Using of moral grounds for selling goods is a newly emerging trend in Indian society. A trend which needs to be discouraged both in the economic as well social good of the country. It is not required of the Indians to shelve off sentimental attitude all together. But there is definitely a need to reject advertisement like these by understanding them in the right perspective.

P.S. Please don’t throw shoes on your screen after reading this!!!!