Marketing hope in a world of despair

As I write this, we are about to complete two days of President Musharraf's visit to India. Every time I have switched on a news channel on TV, I find discussions on the summit. It is very clear that the cannels are geared up to make a killing of the opportunity that has presented itself. You have personalities lined up from different backgrounds-politicians, defense experts, and media representatives. 

But there is no substance. Nothing worthy of one's time emanating from the discussions being held. And so you have all these people talking in thin air about precisely nothing. (One is all too aware of the political theories and standpoints of different groups and this summit was not really required to just hear the same things all over again. What one wants to know is the 'real' stuff that matters.)

With so many news channels and so much competition, everyone wants to create VSPs by doing something different. But that 'different stuff' isn't different any more. Panel discussions have become all too common. There is not much one can say about the quality of discussion and those charged with the responsibility of conducting these sessions aren't exactly able to raise standards.

And so it is that this entire media on TV seems to be surviving on hope. Hope of the masses that they will eventually get to hear or see something new or worthwhile!

Come to think of it, this entire nation, nay, the whole world is probably surviving on hope-of a better tomorrow. Look around and you find all businesses based on creating or generating hope are doing well. When Kotter said that those selling lipstick were not just selling a product, but actually selling hope, he probably did not realize the import of his statement.

Examples abound. 'Fair and lovely' sells hope. Health drinks like Bourvnita and Milo sell hope. Fitness centers sell hope. Deodorant makers have started selling hope. IT education schools have done roaring business by selling hope of great careers. And more recently the dotcom entrepreneurs got great funding purely by selling hope to venture capitalists. What next?

Well, I would put my bets on the 'Information 'security' business as IT's next bastion. With everyone getting networked and incidents of hacking on the rise, the feeling of insecurity is on the rise. And hence there is tons of money to be made by selling 'hope' of a secure infrastructure. Especially when IT security isn't just about products like firewalls and VPNs, but also about processes within organizations. The more rebellious the concept, the better chance you have of hitching the 'hope' bandwagon. All you probably need to be able to do is to establish some logical or emotional link. In fact, the greater the emotional content, the higher the chances of success (or maybe, the lower the chances of failure).

Look at how our politicians have been selling to the masses for years. Hope after hope has been dashed and me still believe in their promises-hoping against hope that some will be fulfilled.

The stock markets have thrived on hope. Lotteries thrive on hope. Those who are able to market 'hope' effectively, stand to conquer the market. Even hardcore facts and figures businesses have horned to hope marketing. The research and analyst companies for instance-they sell reports of market trends promising to give you information that will help you take the right direction and make informed decisions. But their soft selling technique is selling hope of benefits that the association with them is likely to bring about!

But isn't there danger of banking too much on hope? After all everyone's aspirations are bound not to be met. True, true! But there lies the trick. The outcome of buying hope should not be dependent on just what you have sold. There should be ten other things that you need to do right. So that you can deflect the cause of failure on to something else that the buyer has not done right!

Yes, there is the risk that people will eventually get wiser and stop buying on hope. But then, as long as you have a fresh set of audience willing to listen to you and who think they would be luckier, you don't really have much to worry about, do you?

Marketing is about raising people's aspirations and giving them hope to achieve those aspirations. As long as people are looking for that easy way, out, 'hope' will sell. The bent of it all is that 'hope' sells anyway. You just need a new set of people to sell it to. And of that there is no dearth in this world.

So will this summit bring peace to the people of Kashmir? Well, hopefully! And if this one doesn't, let's hope the next one does! (Who is that guy who said, 'hope lives eternal'?)