Karan Chadda

November 1, 2013

Vulnerable or patronised?

Campaign groups increasingly refer to those they represent (or seek to represent) as ‘vulnerable’. Whether its poverty, race or sexual orientation, groups of people are referred to as vulnerable to changes in government policy or society’s prejudices.

It’s hugely patronising and, in many ways, it’s as bad as the Victorians referring to the ‘deserving poor’. Both terms seek to identify people as weak and in need of patronage.

This is not to deny the fact that many people do need help, or that campaigners do vital work to raise issues that might otherwise be neglected or ignored. However, patronising those who are marginalised by society cannot be the best way to do it.

It’s worth noting that Google’s Ngram Viewer shows that usage of the term ‘vulnerable people’ has rocketed since the mid-90s. For comparison, I’ve charted the term ‘deserving poor’ alongside it.

Did people suddenly become vulnerable in the past two decades?

October 1, 2013

Godwin’s Law

The debate about UKIP has gone on so long that the probability has reached 1. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the end of the debate.

September 28, 2013

Back in the day

The UK’s economy might be coming back to life but people are still feeling the pinch. Wages aren’t keeping up with prices, times are tough and people are hankering after ‘the good old days’.

We see it everywhere. In politics, UKIP are making the most of people’s yearning for a bold, ‘call a spade a spade’ Britain. Both Labour and the Conservatives are pushing policies that preach to the faithful. We’re back to the days of left and right. The third way has gone away.

Meanwhile in literature, we’re witnessing the continued rise of historical fiction with authors like Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory winning awards and having their books turned into hit TV dramas.

In terms of brands, we’re seeing some great old names return. The Truman brewery, originator of the IPA, is back in London pubs. Last week, it was announced that Royal Enfield motorcycles are coming back home to the UK, having sat out the past 30 years in India.

Other brands are drawing upon the past in their advertising. Notably, Coca-Cola’s ‘Grandpa’ healthy living advert seeks to push an old fashioned lifestyle as the solution to the very modern issue of obesity. We’ve also seen the return of the Tetley Tea Folk and NatWest piggy banks.

Even brands with little history, like cycling apparel maker, Rapha, and clothing firm, Jack Wills, are basing their growth on heritage values.

Like the tight economy, this trend isn’t likely to go away any time soon. So there’s no harm in digging into the archives and finding the warm, familiar signifiers of better days. People are grasping after comfort blankets, smart marketers will provide them.

September 1, 2013

Guggenheim Bilbao, Iberdrola and ‘Tall Tree and the Eye’

Anish Kapoor’s ‘Tall Tree and the Eye’ sculpture sits strikingly outside Bilbao’s iconic Guggenheim museum. While gazing at its many orbs, I thought I could get a nice shot of Guggenheim reflected in the balls that make up the sculpture. While composing the shot, I noticed that I could also capture Iberdrola’s (huge Spanish energy company) headquarters.

When visiting the museum, it’s immediately notable that the two striking and dominant buildings in the area are Iberdrola’s HQ (a tall tree) and the Guggenheim (very much for the eyes).

The connection between the sculpture and its surroundings struck me as interesting, so I took the snap and here it is.

August 15, 2013

A little less awareness, a little more call-to-action please

A couple of days ago, I tweeted the title of this blog as a thought for the day. It’s a thought that’s been circling in back of my mind for quite a while.

From the off, let me say that I think awareness is really important. People need to know your product or issue exists and what it’s for. But campaigns should be more than a public service announcement. They should make things happen.

I can see why communicators are drawn to awareness. It’s measured in surveys and clicks, RTs and likes. These are metrics that can be measured in different ways, aggregated, weighted and, dare I say, manipulated?

Increased sales. Legislative change. Altered business practices. These are all outcomes that are reasonably objective. You either achieve them or you don’t. Campaigns that make these things happen aren’t centred on awareness.

From staging post to destination

At some point awareness moved from being a necessary condition for achieving a campaign’s goals, to a goal in itself. It became an end point.

Anecdotally, I think a lot of it is down to the rise of engagement and conversations. There are countless papers and articles about the need to engage with consumers, to have conversations and build deeper relationships. Again, all of this is true. I have no quarrel with it. Yet, somehow the purpose of all this engagement and all these conversations has been lost.

What good are strong relationships and positive experiences if they are fostered and then left to passively convert themselves into sales? Campaigns should build on that positivity and then inspire people to a specific action. Those that do will always be more successful than those that stop at a good conversation.

All of this is blindingly obvious. It’s communications 101. Yet for some reason it needs restating. So let’s build awareness and have the conversations, and then let’s cap it all off by creatively inspiring specific, positive actions.

This article was also published here on Medium.