As I called up all my teachers and gurus who have made my sojourn towards the Kalpavriksha of knowledge possible, I remembered that any germination of a notion, theory or even perspective took shape and form after I had had it vetted from the pundits and only when they endorsed it was it worth considering. In a turbulent world where decisions are imperative and are a commonality, we constantly seek help, gyan and approval to arrive at a plausible answer. And I can’t but recall at this juncture what Kabir Das said: Balihari guru apne jin Govind deeyo bataye (I salute you oh! teacher for leading me to enlightenment). And if there is a guru and a guru mantra how can the foresighted marketeer be far behind?
In fact, it is most often the infallible ace up his sleeve which always comes up with the winning blackjack 21. The cards he usually plays to get a consumer’s faith and ultimately surrender are:
The coat of arms: the safest and cleanest seal of approval comes from the white coat — that’s right Dettol. The minute a doctor gives you a 100 per cent assurance of kitanuon se surakhsha, you breathe a sigh of relief and the decision is made. While Colgate tells you that the vigyanokaon se pramanit suraksha only comes with their Plax and chaar me se teen dentists ka sujhaya hua hai Colgate Sensitive, a medicated Sensodyne is recommended by a practicing dentist. And the counsel does not end with products that need to be evaluated and assessed for their rational benefits like a No Marks cream or anti rash diapers for a baby’s sensitive skin but also holds true for run of the mill floor cleaners like Lizol.
The wise counsellor: Another tried and tested formula is the bade bujurgon ne kaha hai. So when a senior like Mr. Bachchan advocates polio drops: do boond jindagi ke liye or a grey-haired Javed Akhtar observes fighter hamesha jeetta hai, how can the pupil buy anything but a Rotomac pen? Sometimes the senior could be an animated Bula di promoting the use of condoms and sometimes an expert agony aunt advising the immediate use of the i-Pill to curtail unwanted pregnancy. A senior is also sometimes used for mundane commodities like TMT saria which is the dictate given by the senior ba (grandmother).
The master stroke: In the last couple of years, we have seen the emergence of a new specialist — the subject expert. The endorsement comes in cleverly staged situations where the presence of the expert is picture perfect — a case in point is Mahindra Xylo’s Happy Legs campaign with ace fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar and his bevy of beauties who enjoy the spaciousness of the car on an outdoor photo shoot. Manish Malhotra, a leading designer discusses his lack-lustre clothes which found a perfect solution at the Ariel OXY Blu detergent testing lab in Beijing. And of course in recent times the coterie of hair experts who advocate the seven different variants of Sunsilk. Each one co-created and formulated by a leading expert.
So there is Yuko Yama-shita whose advice is for straight hair while Thomas Taw is the recommender for damaged hair. Sanjeev Kapoor swears by Natura for a guilt-free dessert and puts the onus of the decision on you by simply stating, faisla aapka.
One may question here that with endless clones, how does the white coat work? Why do we believe these sermons? Why does expert advice seem so convincing? Well the guru mantra, as my professor would say, is very simple.
Mantra 1: In a risky situation, whether emotional — with my baby’s sensitive skin; or physiological — the pigmentation marks to No Marks, the white coat is solemnly reassuring. The grey hair of timeless wisdom and experience is a fact of life that most of us have grown up with — dadi ma ke time se. Thus the believability of the claim/advice increases and conversion into a safe solution is natural.
Mantra 2: Conversely in the case of a low-risk commodity like a Lizol, the presence of the expert adds the benefit of ‘germ free’ to the liquid. Hence the perception of added value is recognised immediately.
Mantra 3: In the trilogy of experts, the rational buyer is more convinced when the commercial is conversational like in the case of Sunsilk or Natura or Ariel OXY Blu. The intention is not to recommend but to objectively present facts and end with faisla aapka. And Voila! you have steered the choice so effortlessly in your direction. Maan gaye marketeer ustad!

The writer is professor, marketing, IMI, Delhi