Are we living in the age of "Populist advertising"?

I understand that with so much of punditry that goes around in advertising, there might be passionate criticism about what I am going to write...

I am sure that everybody of us would rate Vodafone as one of India's most "loved" brand...and in the last few years that I have had my own interface with Indian advertising Vodafone (erstwhile Hutch) ads have been the most talked about piece of communication both with the so called, "advertising know-alls" and the common folks we label as "consumers"...

Now, some of the brands with an evolved sense of marketing, will draw a line between "being respected" and "being loved"...(More on it in my next post)

But, which ever side of the fence, one chooses to sit on, the classic principles of communication state that, any advertising must also position the Brand..

Yes, it has to be engaging and entertaining, but it must position the Brand..

And when I take this scale, some of the most loved and popular advertising does not live up to it....

The classic example is the "Zoo-Zoo" piece from Ogilvy. Great ability to bust the clutter, greatly engaging and yes tremendously memorable, but does it position the Brand in the consumer's mind? I am skeptical...

Having said that, there seems to be this huge paradigm shift towards this kind of advertising where the communication is one great piece of earth shattering entertainment...but slightly tenuous thrust on Positioning.

And I guess, if there was any one agency that kind of began this shift was Fallon London with its iconic Guerilla.

Now, some of us might turn around and say that Guerilaa did position Cadbury's as "the giver of joy" but I guess, this was done by the post buzz that the TVC generated rather than the TVC itself....!!!!