Arguably or not, one of the increasingly used elements in the IMC domain would be, as I would call it, the L-spot. Prevailing since the beginning of substantiated civilization, its presence & impact has always made news.
So what is it: A deep feeling or desire to want something/ someone or simply a desire of sexual and erotic nature? Either way, it has worked so far (for good or bad). Greeks call it ‘epithumia’ and I have mentioned Greeks, as reading their numerous mythological tales made me realize that this was a base to many.
The L-spot is ever present. Citing from mythology, Ravana’s L-spot for Sita made him increasingly frustrated & undoubtedly irrational. Three thousand years ago, the beautiful (and married) Bathsheba managed to act on the L-spot of King David, who is considered as one of the greatest Biblical heroes. Helen (daughter of Greek God Zeus) noted as the most beautiful lady of that time, was impelled by her L-spot & eloped with Paris of Troy.
So indirectly are we allowed to deduce an immense possibility of a tragic end if the L-spot is involved in major life-changing decisions? Well the IMC domain seems to deduce nada. Brands are constantly on the run to sow their seeds in the consumers’ overcrowded brain and evoke activity in the amygdala. They want the consumer space to hold individual billboards saying ‘I Love You’. As flies are drawn to horse manure, brands need their targeted consumers to be drawn to their products without hesitation. Some succeed, some lose.
Designing on the L-spot front starts from the time the client steps into an ad agency. A chip of it gets formed, thereby allowing the parties to move forward with their respective motives. Over time, the client gets succumbed to the creative L-spot & eventually the metric L-spot. And the outcomes I believe depend on the degree of unchecked L-spot.
Axe is doing quite an impressive job making the best use of the underlying L-spot, ergo exhibiting a raw side. Positioning itself as the babe magnet, giving hope to dweebs to score with hot chicks has turned out to be a go-getter. Subtle degrees have been exhibited by other prominent brands such as Airtel’s endless goodbye ad, Tanishq’s ad where Nafisa Ali is compelled to sport its diamond necklace after which she hits the ‘L-spot’, Nakshatra’s ad portraying Katrina adorned by the jewels making her an Indian epitome of grace & beauty, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk’s ‘kiss me’ ads, one could be where a gentleman and lady in adjacent cars seem to share a tender- hearted moment thanks to the chocolate’s claimed attributes( softer, smoother, silkier) and many more.
History has shown that dirty garbage could be possibly thrown at you if the L-spot is meddled with. Ravan & Sita, Samson & Delilah, Bill Clinton & the alleged White House intern, star brand Lux & its chocolate seduction variant, Ponds and its white-teeth fantasy, even liquor baron Vijay Mallya & his controversial obsessions, has nodded to that. Yet the IMC domain still makes use of it, simply because it works. Human beings are always part of unexplainable emotional wars. Speaking tree had mentioned that we tend to exploit our intellect with emotions. So why not just drive that to a well-designed motive and gain the max?
No matter we develop a plethora of themes be it environmental concerns, parental affection, political scenario, health & fitness, unparalleled love, general public issues, fear factor etc., LUST makes it big and has grown to be unavoidable. There, I spilled it out. As audience, I bet we wouldn’t mind occasionally a bit of lust-play (as long as it isn’t obscene or anti-religious) and be swayed by it voluntarily or involuntarily.
The book ‘Fascinate’ by Sally Hogheads, talks of a concept where a business should be able to tie trust and lust together for a favourable customer outcome and the IMC domain seems to apply it quite literally with the wily L-spot being part of their agenda. Many at times, it is confused with love for some reason. I do not and can probably never know why. Anyway on a personal note, I’d say life is no fun without a bit of risk, infidelity, tragedy and of course lust.
Author: Neethu Sophia Thomas
Neethu Thomas is a girl who can be defined in three words; bubbly, animated and naive. Currently doing her internship at Zentron Labs Pvt. Ltd., she is a girl with a lot of dreams. She also happens to be an avid reader, sometimes reading three books at a time. Though she may act like a little girl sometimes, there is definitely more to her than meets the eye.
Brand Worms 