Do brands need to rework their advertising strategy to ensure they stay religion agnostic, especially on social media platforms?

BY – Mr Sahil Chopra, Founder & CEO- iCubesWire

India is a diverse country with its roots spread across numerous cultures and religions. We all are familiar with the use of religious context in the realm of advertising to establish a connection with our target audience. Nevertheless, a few brands have had to bear the brunt of relying on religious context and were cornered into taking a step back. On most occasions, the mention of religion in advertising is noted as a crucial factor in building context for the desired target audience. It is the need of the moment to bring cultural sensitivity to advertising and respect the many religious sentiments in India. As the internet penetration in India witnesses new scales, the enhanced distribution of ad campaigns across digital channels has welcomed more criticism to brands. But even in the face of this risk, marketers find the use of religion worth taking the shot in efforts to devise outstanding ad campaigns.

Brands, now more than ever, need to consider the religious differences when developing ad campaigns. Advertising goes beyond boundaries, so even though the campaign is well-suited to its local market, it might not be relevant for audiences living in different geographies. Hence, cultural sensitivity in advertising is of utmost importance in reaching the target audience.
Advertisements must promote positivity and aim at bringing people together by striving for cultural sensitivity; a negative portrayal of one’s culture and religion will only draw criticism and conflict. Some of the ways how brands can introduce religious sensitivity to their strategy are:

 Promote diversity
To make a religion-sensitive ad, a brand must include all religions. Marketers must refrain from highlighting a specific religion. As soon as you decide to show a particular religion, you lose touch with your target audience belonging to different religious
groups. It’s always important to have someone in your team familiar with the religion and its various customs. An ad done by HUL for Brooke Bond Red Label got a severe backlash from people on Twitter. Therefore, it is essential to respect the sentiments of your target audience.

 Respect religious differences
People make a business a brand, and how brands interact with people, in the long run, is how they earn customers. Therefore, each religion must be addressed differently. Tanishq, on various occasions, has ignited controversies, and #BoycottTanishq, along with words of criticism, flooded the social media channels to the extent that the brand had to take down the advertisement from all the social media channels.

 Use location-based targeting
Going live with an ill-suited ad can cause a brand its customers. Instead, brands should leverage location-based marketing, allowing marketers to identify and segment consumers at a deeper level based on their physical location. In addition, location-based marketing creates a user persona, which will enable marketers to target audiences based on their likes and what’s happening around them, and more.

 Be particular about the communication
Research is the first and foremost exercise following any advertising campaign. Before you welcome the element of religion, marketers must run checks on the communication, words, phrases, and story used in conveying the message. When
working for brands, it is always better to avoid anything you are not sure of. While working on an ad campaign for an unfamiliar location, try learning more about the cultural norms or connect with an expert. Brands need to start working towards a more religion-sensitive approach to reach the masses. Brands and marketers must do their homework and avoid phrases, imagery, and symbols considered offensive to specific regions, religions, or cultures.