Brandification of faith

Religion is everywhere. It drives our purchases. It drives our holidays. It even realigns our home decor. But this is not something new for India. When I was doing my PhD on ‘Religiosity and Consumer Behaviour’ in 2010, I was struck by the myriad ways religion is influencing consumers. What was also interesting was that, unlike developed nations, where the youth are quite disengaged from religion, the youth of India are intensely religious.

Religiosity (that word delayed my PhD by six months since the approving authority questioned me about the term) can be interpreted in many ways. There is an intrinsic religiosity; you meditate and perform a simple puja at home. Then there is extrinsic religiosity, you display your religion quite proudly, in what you wear and what you sport.

Another way of looking at types of it is to look at the rituals and practices. It does not necessarily mean that you do puja every day or go to the temple every week. You can be religious in a spiritual way. Or you can be religious in a ritualistic way. Again, if you look at India and other developing or developed countries, you will find that India is a land of ritualistic religion. And religion tends to play a role in every stage of our lives. From the baby naming ceremony to the wedding to the baby shower to the final funeral.

Coming to the baby shower or godh-bharai, Tanishq’s ad that showed a Hindu woman celebrating godh-bharai in her Muslim husband’s home saw intense backlash on social media. I decided to discuss the case soon after the ad was withdrawn (it ran from 9 October 2020 to 13 October 2020). Did the brand cross the Lakshman Rekha (yet another touch of religion)? The class was unanimous about its opinion that it was a wonderfully made ad. As we discussed, one of the students in the class, a Muslim married to a Hindu girl, said that he and his family also celebrated godh-bharai, the traditional Hindu way (in Tamil it is called Seemandhan). He said there was general joy all around, and many of his Muslim relatives too joined in the celebration, though it had no religious significance for them.

Just because that ad got attacked, should we stop pushing interesting, inter-religious brand stories? Should brands stick to selling emotions in a secular way and focus on rational benefits? Stay away from anything remotely near any type of controversy? But then there are interesting opportunities out there that may be missed.

Brooke Bond Red Label tea did an ad featuring an idol maker and a Hindu customer. The customer, a young man, is trying to select the right Ganesh idol for his puja (this is the first time he is setting up a Ganesh idol in his own home). He goes through the collection in the idol maker’s workshop. The idol maker even provides interesting trivia about Ganesh and his vaahan, Mushak. After reviewing many idols, the young man hones in on one of them. The idol maker says that he can reserve the idol for the customer. Just then, you hear the prayer (Azaan) call from the nearby mosque. The idol maker pulls out his cap from his pocket and puts it on his head. The Hindu customer is a little worried (buying a Ganesh idol from a practicing Muslim, what will be the reaction of his mom/wife). He says he will come back later. Just then, the helper at the workshop brings tea. The idol maker realises what has happened, but still offers the customer a hot cup of tea.  Knowing the reaction of the customer, the idol maker says that even making god’s idol is a kind of worship. Sipping the tea, the young man has an epiphany. He changes his mind and books the Ganesh he liked. The film ends with an innocent line, ‘Inspired by A true story’.

As the class around Tanishq progressed, we debated if the backlash would have been less if that ad too had a line like ‘Inspired by a true story’. Or maybe at that time the tempers were running high (post covid) and festival season was fast approaching. Maybe nothing would have helped except for what Tanishq did.

Brands and ad agencies live in comfortable cocoons. They need to go out into the heartlands and get a finger on their pulse. Also, when they make an ad, they need to be extra sensitive to what kind of reaction the ad may provoke. Avoiding religion altogether is not possible. But approaching religion a little more carefully is the right way to go.

This article is penned by Ambi Parameswaran, an advertising/branding veteran and author of 'For God’s Sake'

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.