Is there a conflict brewing in your mind?

Every human being is rife with conflicts. And so is all great

communication. From the Mahabharat, the Ramayan, the
Bhagavad Gita, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Othello to
Sholay, Devdas and Tom and Jerry. Not to mention Kyunki Saas
Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Tu Tu Main Main and Desperate
Housewives.
Richly insightful serials like Full House deal with everyday family
conflicts growing up and looking after. Picket Fences picks
community conflicts, Chicago Hope picks professional conflicts
ethical issues, personality clashes, professional-personal balances and
more. The hit TV comedy show, Home Improvement, starring Tim
Allen, centres around wanting to appear macho and being a family
man at the same time The conflicts in this serial are many from
dealing with the softer, more sensitive male, Al (Tims assistant), to
the division of labour with Tims spunky wife, Jill, in running a home
and raising kids. By seeing ourselves in their world, we learn to laugh
at ourselves and so resolve our own confusion, like wanting to
appear more macho or dealing with impudent kids or wanting the
perfect marriage or bringing up imperfect children.
Conflicts imply a negative scenario and arise when we ignore needs
that are essential to our well-being: our own needs, others needs or
group needs. Or from how we define or use power, our values and our
emotions.
But when managed effectively, conflicts become catalysts for growth
and innovation; they force new ways of thinking and trigger the mind
to generate new ideas.
A look at how brands use conflict: In the area of mobile telephony,
Orange discovered that the more technology isolates people, the
more they want to communicate in groups. It used this to its
advantage by being the first to introduce group talk and messaging.
Time and again, fashion brands have had to resolve the conflict
between individualisation and social conformity. Fashion satisfies
mans desire for novelty, for differentiation, for individuality and still,
at the same time, it makes for social adaptation and uniformity of
action.
Luxury brands present a very interesting paradox. To quote: It looks
as if awareness feeds dreams but purchase makes dreams come true

and, therefore, contributes to destroy it. This is the essence of the

paradoxical nature of the marketing of luxury goods. The bestmanaged companies learn how to turn the paradox to their advantage.
They position themselves at the intersection of two segments.
Chupa Chups, the worlds leading lollipop, has very successfully
explored the contradiction in the lollipop eating experience. The
eating experience is one which feels incredibly private it is
involving, playful and lasts a long time. At the same time, the stick
makes this experience one which is always displayed publicly.
Introversion meets extroversion.
There are any number of other examples where Health meets
Indulgence, Nature meets Science, or Tradition meets Modernity.
India is thriving on contradictions.
With its enormous economic and social disparities and its ability to
absorb new influences without displacing the old, India is a cauldron
of endless possibilities to dip into for new communication ideas.
Something the Indian diaspora has drawn from with much success
be it films like Bend it like Beckham and East is East or the prizewinning successes of Indian writers in English.
Examples like paneer pizza and aloo tikki burgers have been cited
to death, but perhaps the best example is what RmKV, a sari store in
Chennai, did. The pavadai (long skirt) in question did not have the
usual traditional floral patterns, but scenes from the universally loved
fairy tale, Cinderella. By resolving a conflict (how to make my child
dress traditionally when her environment is shaping her style to be so
Western), a successful new product idea was born, an instant hit with
both parents and little girls alike. The next year, it was Snow White.
In every conflict lies an idea! Figure this out:
I want to look good for my client meeting, but have no time to go to
the beauty parlour: handy: ready-to-use home facial kits.
I want to make up with my girlfriend, but dont know how to break the
ice: humorous greeting cards.
I want to be able to spend any time, but dont want to carry cash
around: debit card, travellers cheques.
I want sex, but I dont want to have a baby: contraceptives.
I want motherhood, but I dont want to leave my job: crches.
I want to use a cream, but I dont want to feel Im using cosmetics:
turmeric cream.
I want to make money, but Im scared of the stock market: mutual

funds.
I want to save money, yet I want to spend: monthly income savings
plans.
I want to indulge my child, but I dont want to spoil him: educational
toys.
I want to keep in touch, but dont feel like talking or wasting a phone
call: SMS messages.
I want to be a family man, but dont want to step down on my machoness: family adventure car.
I want an AC, but I dont want to indulge: power saving compressor.
I want to eat chocolates, but Mummy wont let me: milk chocolate.
I want to use instant food mixes, but I dont want to feel Im taking the
lazy way out: instant cake mixes that still require you to beat eggs and
shortening together, rather than just add water.
I want my husband to help in the kitchen, but dont really want to give
up my territory: Sunday cooking by Dads.
I love thick, rich tomato sauce, but hate hitting on the back of the
bottle to get it out: a bottle with a large cap, designed to stand only
upside down.
I want to drink a cola, but dont want its calories: a diet cola.
I want to hear about the Rig Veda, but hate the droning voice in
which they explain it: Times Music.
While epics, books, movies, serials and product ideas have tapped into
conflicts, has advertising used this rich area enough?
So, when sitting down to write a piece of advertising, how can we use
this rich world of conflicts to explore interesting possibilities?
The exploration needs to go down two axes: relationships and areas of
conflict.
Each persons conflict could be with: himself/ herself; his/ her
immediate family spouse/ parent/ sibling; his/ her immediate society
colleagues/ friends/ relatives; his/her larger society the residential
community/ the social or political ethos; or the world/ environment at
large.
The second axis is the areas of conflict. Our conflicts could be around
money, technology/ information, time, space, health, energy, beauty,
sexuality/ love/ romance, lifestyle/ fashion, religion, entertainment
Who knows, you may land up with new unexplored advertising ideas
like pulse-calming watches or, perhaps, adrenalin-arousing nail
varnish; cars that take you closer to nirvana or walking shoes that are
an answer to crowded car parks. Or, maybe, technologically advanced
bubble gum to improve a childs school grades or separate

bathrooms to improve a marriage!

Just look for a conflict to negotiate your way through and feel that
light bulb go on over your head and you might find a new way into
your consumers hearts.