Charlie Brown and his friends, including Snoopy, from Peanuts have appeared in ads for MetLife, the American Heart Institute, the American Lung Institute and the 1961 Ford Falcon.
In India, comic-strip characters are considered a better bet than comic-book counterparts, unlike in markets such as the UK and Japan, where comic books and their superheroes enjoy a cult-like status among adults. Comic strips tend to have a higher readership in India as they appear in newspapers and are followed largely by adults. The other upside is that unlike ads that use celebrities such as Bollywood stars and cricketers, who endorse a multitude of products, there is little scope for confusion in the consumer’s mind about what is being plugged by a comic-strip character.
Often, the popularity of the character also helps brands connect with consumers.
Silent observer
“The Common Man is a popular character...he stands for the common people and their needs: an all pervading silent observer,” says Laxman, the creator of the one-panel cartoon “You Said It” that has appeared on the front page of The Times of India since 1951. “Probably why a number of advertisers have approached us.”
No surprise, then, that a number of brands will consider comic-strip characters as a cost-effective means of reaching their target audiences in these tough times. In some cases, they cost a fraction of the price of hiring a celebrity.
“In some cases, the amount could be a hundredth of what it costs to hire a C-grade celebrity,” says Leo Burnett India’s Sridhar. Depending on the size and detailing of the image, brands could pay as little as Rs1,000 for each illustration they use of the “Common Man”.
But there is also a risk that a comic-strip character may not be able to deliver the desired impact, however iconic the character is.
“When you use a comic-strip character, you can change the text in the bubble. But an illustrator (at the ad agency) will find it difficult to replicate the spark and charm of the original creator,” says Sridhar. “You may get the illustration cheap, but what you are really paying for is the wit of the creator. In the case of the Common Man, he reflects R.K. Laxman’s observation of life…it may not always be possible to convince the creator to toe the ad line.”
Cool quotient
This kind of strategy may work better for advertisers looking to reach a niche audience. “India is a very fragmented media market,” says Patil of Amar Chitra Katha. He explains that few comic strips reach a mass audience, making their characters better suited to endorse brands that are trying to reach a niche segment.
As in the case of Nokia. Its target audience is typically a 30-something business professional the company hopes will be drawn to the playfulness of a comic strip that parodies real concerns at the workplace.
Typically, people who are likely to be interested in its high-end organizer, E-Series phones.
The brand is piquing consumer interest by backing its online campaign with a website www.waywework.in that has a funny Dilbert questionnaire about the way you work, results of which can be compared with those from other regions in the world.