In the 60 years after World War II, consumerism started with marketing, the organised selling of mass-scale products. Americans formulated the marketing concept which their business schools are promoting from the 20th century. But in reality, marketing was invented for and by religious god, goddesses, spiritualist and preachers since thousands of years. Religious icons have left their extraordinary symbolic expressions for recognition by the social system century after century, and billions of humans follow and sustain it with reverence. This is the real form of marketing thatis beyond the obvious.
Marketing is all about creating a need. Oranges, for example, originated in Southeast Asia centuries ago, but the culture of eating oranges on Christmas Eve was started and popularised in Europe from 1950s onwards. Today, the top three orange-producing and exporting countries are Brazil, the United States, and Mexico. They benefit from good Christmas marketing, as well as the health and fitness trend that?s made oranges a necessity across the Western world. Take a different example of how an American multinational computer-technology corporation went into Greek mythology to pick up the name Oracle and marketed itself into toting up the third-largest software revenue, after Microsoft and IBM.
Santa Claus: My half sleepy eyes at dawn in Mumbai airport on Christmas Eve suddenly found everything had turned red. When I quizzed the clown-like appearance of the beautiful young lady at the check-in counter, she replied, ?Santa Claus, sir.?
Santa Claus, the plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing red coat and trousers with white cuffs, black leather belt and boots was created by American caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1861. This image was immortalised after Harper?s Weekly printed an initial illustration in 1863 and ?Merry Old Santa Claus? in their January 1, 1881 edition.
Originating from 4th century Greek bishop St Nicholas, famous for his generous gifts to the poor, the story of Santa Claus, also known as Sinterklaas and Father Christmas, spread to Europe, and is now reinforced worldwide through literature, poems, song, radio, television, and films. Images of Santa Claus became the rage in the 1930s when The Coca-Cola Company?s Christmas advertising depicted him, spawning the urban legend that Santa wears red and white because they are Coca-Cola brand colours. Historically, Santa Claus was first used in advertisements selling mineral water for White Rock Beverages in 1915, and his benevolence was associated with charity organisations like the Salvation Army.
Santa Claus is a marketing tool today, selling billions of dollars worth of products and services across the world, irrespective of whether the buyers follow the Christian religion. The fervent celebration of Burra Din is a British legacy that unites India. Even villagers and small-towners eat some version of cake, follow the gifting tradition or go on picnics, while new-fangled shopping malls in metros sport Santa saying ?Ho Ho Ho!? I don?t think any other cultural or religious festival in India cuts across society so visibly.
Business business: The power of American marketers to transform religious festivity into business is stark in St Valentine?s Day on February 14. Traditionally lovers in English-speaking countries expressed their love by sending Valentine?s cards to each other. The US Greeting Card Association estimates that a billion valentine?s cards are sent annually worldwide. Today, commerce flourishes with romance in most countries across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia with sales of chocolates, flowers and diamond jewellery. Virtual romance floats in cyber space through the internet. But fundamentalists oppose Valentine?s Day as ?cultural pollution from the West? in parts of India and Saudi Arabia where its ban in 2008 created a black market in roses and wrapping paper.
Diwali: India is adapting Westernised ways of celebrating Christmas and Valentine through an organised marketing process, but isn?t it about time we exported a few of our festivals for the world to enjoy? Why not start with Diwali, the non-dogmatic Hindu festival that appears more relevant to most Indians? Give it a character to represent a billion people and market it meaningfully as an international festival. Selling an intangible idea requires tremendous marketing discipline which is called marketing. Let?s play with an example here. First, create the mythological story, then keeping a metaphorical idea that can be relevant to different global societies, design a versatile symbolic expression with activities that have universal appeal beyond religion; the way Christmas means gifts and Valentine means romantic love. India being a motherland where most countries are fatherlands, is representative of women; and buying gold among other gifts during Diwali is a tradition. Combining the two, a gold icon can be appropriate. Symbolising woman from Indian history, exquisite Ajanta Ellora figurines can be interwoven in a modern way, and associated with a fruit that?s relevant to India yet globally relished. That?s the mango, produced 50% in India, and the rest in Mexico, Brazil, Equador, Peru, Haiti among others, but exported almost everywhere in the world. Even though Diwali time is not mango season in the northern hemisphere, like the orange eating culture at Christmas, it will create a special moment of how to get mangoes then from somewhere in the world. In fact this demand will promote the mango culture worldwide and encourage its cultivation for sale during Diwali.
So, the Diwali symbol could be the golden mango with representation of gifts inside, with a modernised gold Ajanta woman as the personality. This image can be crafted for three-dimensional usage with lights inside for a night-time festival that?s visible and prominently placed on the road and at home. It can be replicated and promoted as a brand in various objects from necklaces to watches, spectacles to apparel to food and beverage to personal care. It has to be very different from everyday life and have some iconic character which is approachable.
Why is a global festival good for human society? Everyday life has humdrum activities with routine work deteriorating to tension, stress, societal problems, psychological embarrassment, depression, perhaps a nervous breakdown, all of which people want to get rid of. A highly-orchestrated well-marketed festival can really bring joyfulness into living. It?s refreshing to think of the Christmas togetherness or dreamy love of Valentine?s Day. That translates to immoderate pleasure when people hunger for enjoyment; they want to flaunt their money and forget life?s passive parts. This positive aspect of any festival creates a lot of work and more business.
An international festival from India will create immense goodwill, sharing and cultural exchange. It will proliferate our culture and provide numerous opportunities for our billion people country to spread their wings into new business and cultural ventures across the world.
The author is an international Creative Business Strategy Consultant to top management. Reach http://www.shininguniverse.com