Is there a conflict brewing in your mind

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 best-managed 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 prize-winning 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 macho-ness: 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.