Receptivity Of Medium, Message Or Messenger?

There has always been a debate as to whether the message, messenger, or the ability of the medium to engage is critical to great feedback. There have been many right answers to this one, but I learnt a small lesson many moons ago. I used to work on one of the Nestle brands and at that time there was a gentleman by the name of Sanjay Sehgal who was at the helm for communications. The challenge being discussed was that a lot of money was going into building the Maggi noodle franchise by engaging messages delivered on high-cost prime time on many channels. Still the snack food sales where not as expected.

Sanjay’s favourite line was: “Let’s get back to basics”. We did, and finally concluded: the job of the communication was to excite the 9-year-old hungry child, who, in turn, could make his mother’s life miserable until he got his Maggi noodles. The mother should understand the convenience factor, as it gets made in two minutes and kid is fed a Nestle meal.

Nestle topped credibility with all homemakers. So the key learning was that it had to address the child when he was hungry, not when he was well fed. At prime time he or she was well fed and would never demand Maggi from their mothers. Kids are famished when they get back from school. Late afternoon. This was like killing two birds with one stone, as afternoon time was very inexpensive.

The result was that the product was flying off the shelves and sales boomed. What was the lesson?

Receptivity. Timing. Right environment.

‘Receptivity’ at its best
“Tryst with Destiny”, the famous 14 August 1947 night speech of India’s first Prime Minister was till date the most famous speech by a political leader in Indian history. It has been played on national and international television, Indian news reels for many decades, and time and again at all so-called patriotic events in India over the last seven decades.

Not any more, as at 2000 hours on 8 November, history was recreated. This 40-minute speech by the current prime minister broke all records as around 700 television channels beamed this live, and till date endless programmes on prime time have been created on it. Every time demonetisation has been debated, cuts of this historic speech has been replayed.

This speech taught us many lessons. The first one was a fact called ‘Receptivity’. This simply means “talk to your audience when they are most likely to listen to you most attentively”. This implies that timing of the message is critical. The second was that the tone and tenure of the message should be such that rapt attention is solicited. This implies that it should concern and touch their lives. All concerned listening should be an active stakeholder. Thirdly, what is being said should be “inclusive” i.e. should involve all persons being addressed. This is a contrast from other tall political leaders who talk down with their audience. This doesn’t work, as the age of Raja and Praja is long gone. Lastly, the message should have the power to create a buzz and go viral. It should be infectious and empower the listener, who, in turn, should call his friend or loved one to check if they have heard the address to the nation. This last trait is what creates ‘Interactivity’, which is the most important factor in making the message memorable. This interactivity is what creates a community and when your message has the power to create a community, it has all the ingredients to create a movement for the country. Movements amalgamate into a silent revolution, which, in turn, etches itself in history in golden words. The current Prime Minister has just done that and what we see unfold is a slow metamorphosis of society, opinions, pride, and, most importantly, honour. This is why the speech will become one of the milestones of modern history.

Collateral damage around a great message
I feel sorry for Donald Trump; and all the iconic Indian TV anchors who had a great holiday in the US for weeks, and all predicted a Hillary win. Even Trump who used Modi’s line “Ab ki baar, Trump Sarkar” to woo the voters of Indian origin, had no takers in India. Since the night of 8 November we haven’t seen even a glimpse of Trump or all the analysis of why Hillary lost.

Thank God and thank the Prime Minister for saving us from this mental torture of watching irrelevant, biased, non-receptive messages.

Well the dice has been thrown, and now we all are players in the national shatranj (chess) that will unfold. We all should take it upon us to ensure that this reform culminates into a movement, to ensure glory and honour for the Indian within India and also across the globe world. We certainly are fortunate to have witnessed this societal cornerstone; and we should be grateful to have lived in interesting times.