Advertisements for Cosmetic Consumables

 

Advertisements for Cosmetic Consumables

I navely believe that any material thing that is for almost-ready consumption is a consumable. Instant coffee is for ready consumption, and rice bought in bulk is for consumption in the coming days, as against for storage. Ground coffee powder to be filtered or percolated to get the brew is in between.

As I am not interested in the above items, I did not know what adjective I should use to classify the ones I am interested in. Hence, the non-standard, cosmetic consumables. Of course, some items I will touch upon could be tagged hygienic consumables, like tooth paste, shampoo etc. I would take the terms interchangeably.

Have you ever seen an advertisement for toilet soap that shows a soap bar that is NOT store-fresh. Though the unwrapping is not shown, there are enough clues (like showing the brand name in low relief, which disappears under normal usage in two or three days) to ensure that it does not skip the viewers’ attention.

The macho man, the lithesome lady, the cutesy child, all of them use only the newly unwrapped soap bar. Not for them, in the advertisement, a soap bar that has been used earlier. I use a toilet soap bar for about 10 days or until I am not able to grasp and grip the thin slice, which is what remains after 10 days.

If it is a deodorant spray, then the site the spray smells is the armpit of a man about to go on a hot date, preferably after a shave and a shower–some consideration towards the spray nozzle! Some similar item for ladies, the perfume. The woman in the advertisement perforce sprays the perfume on her wrist and smells, just to give you, the viewer, the idea that the she had just uncapped the recently bought item from, you guessed it, Marks & Spencer, the poor lady’s Saks Fifth Avenue! You can’t go too upmarket!

If you use a shaving cream and a brush (with soft bristles; check that, soft pliable fibres, as bristles are stiff), the tube is bound to be under first-use; perhaps Elon Musk, with his unruly and unkempt beard, can buy one every day.

When a brand has to be shown superior in performance to its competitor, the competitor remains anonymous and also of the previous century. I noticed this for a single-edged cartridge shaving blade against a double-edged razor blade that my father used, in the previous century.  Same goes for liquid laundry detergents, and other such household consumables, not necessarily cosmetic variety. Still, my point holds.

It holds to even kitchen sink and toilet cleaners! You know that I am having lunch or dinner by seeing a commercial for toilet cleaner! TV shows in the afternoon are called “soaps” because nearly a century ago, these were promoted by manufacturers of toiletries. So, when you see a commercial for a soap, you know the audience comprises non-office goers, like me!

The Government of India has established departments/bureaus at the levels of the Central government, state governments and even at the district level to safeguard the interests of the public. But, they must not be interacting with each other, siloed so effectively. And, this is par for the Indian governance mechanisms and procedures.

Raghuram Ekambaram