At first glance the ad seems almost pedestrian. Maybe it's the baby, I'm not sure but something pulls your wandering attention back to the page. The ad I am referring to is a very 'different looking' ad for its category -- liquid detergents.
From Amway. There are no shiny plates or beaming housewives as would have been expected from a product such as this. Instead you have a very happy baby with her/his latest meal all over a triumphant face.
After pulling you in with the baby, the ad continues to keep you hooked with an extremely compelling argument, which I thought, was a phenomenal insight into the customer psyche.
The headline "Only food safe ingredients in our dish washing liquids. Because babies love to lick their plates." is aimed quite expertly at a habit common to babies all over the world.
In a chemical-ingredient dominant category such as this, this is one phenomenal selling point -- especially to mothers (and grandmothers, for that matter).
Sharp, to the point and informative, the body copy goes on to deliver what the headline promises.
The copy reminds one of the wholesome Sainsbury campaigns of the past, which have managed not just to sell Sainsbury's products but have created a benchmark as solid, well-crafted ads woven around the goodness of their product.
It's been a while since a copy-dominated ad lit up our magazines and this ad from Amway brings hope to the revival of persuasive, well-written ads.
Here's hoping we'll see more such work in the future.
What I've learned
On how to be 'The Invisible CEO"
I've always believed there are two kinds of CEOs. I am not passing judgement on either type, this is merely an observation. Type A is the 'highly visible CEO'.
The general public knows them by face. And they continue to remain high-profile, even when their organisation has slipped on performance parameters.
Their company's lack of performance in no way taints their public persona.
I would like to believe I belong to the next category -- the Type B CEO. This is your typical low-profile leader who shies away from the power circle as it were.
I chose to remain invisible personally and let my name be linked to the performance of my company instead. If Mudra failed, I failed. If Mudra succeeded, it was my victory.
I could never at any point in time, have sat back and said, "It was not my fault". My identity began and ended with my visiting card. Take away the logo and AGK was a nobody!
At this juncture let me point out that a profession like advertising demands visibility --both for its products and its people. So when I opted to remain 'invisible' I was going against the grain of the trade.
But yet, despite this, both Mudra and I had our fair share of success. Since that was a story worth telling, you can now read all about it in my first book, The Invisible CEO, published by Tata-McGraw Hill.
It has three sections: What I've Learned and What I've Liked, and, a section called 'My Mudra Years'. It shows you how, if you believe strongly enough, you unconsciously programme yourself to achieve your dream.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. And as usual, I look forward to your enlightening feedback!
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