The catchy and clever jingle has feverishly occupied the minds and Facebook walls
of college students across the country
A month ago, Rashi Bajaj, 21, got a call from an agency to
feature in an advertisement for a mobile phone service. "While we were
shooting for the advertisement, we knew immediately that it would catch on. I think
what works about ads like these is that they connect with people, and every student
can relate to its lyrics," said the south Mumbai college student.
Bajaj's intuition was spot on. She was featured in the new 'Har ek friend zaroori
hota hai' Airtel advertisement, which has since gone viral on the internet and across
college campuses.
The catchy and clever jingle has feverishly occupied the minds and Facebook walls
of college students across the country as it celebrates friendship in a realistic
manner. It urges one to constantly be in touch with friends from different walks
of life, cashing in on the social networking addiction.
"Most of these mobile ads are about social networking or instant messenger deals
as it is a new idea to be in touch with friends all the time. Constantly talking
to friends about everything makes people feel more secure," said Karunika Kardak,
19, a student of St. Xavier's College, Dhobi Talao. "Social networking is about
telling everyone everything. The greater the number of people who like your status,
the more you feel like a mini-celebrity, and the advertisers cash in on this feeling,"
added Kardak.
Similar advertisements emphasising the importance of phones in having an active
social life and love life have flooded the market in recent times. However, according
to students, a memorable tune does not always tempt them to actually buy the product
the ad is selling.
Arushi Sethi, 17, has over 250 contacts on her Blackberry messenger and is happy
with her mobile Internet plan, regardless of the slew of advertisements that are
pushing for different deals. "Personally I think many of these ads are very catchy,
but really do not bring out the package that they wanted to promote. People will
remember the song and may even post it on their friends' walls, but I doubt that
they will actually switch to the plan that that is being advertised," said the student
of Jai Hind College.
While students claim that these advertisements may not affect their consumer behaviour,
it is clear that every mobile company is appealing to the youth as an emerging,
untapped market. "As the industries are moving towards profitability, they are starting
to look into urban segments and the youth is easy to influence in terms of advertising.
With the coming in of smart phones and applications oriented toward younger users,
there is almost a herd effect of companies targeting them," said Santosh Desai,
CEO of Futurebrands.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
