The concept of Shock Advertising is not new to the world. The ability of advertisements to create a shocking sensation (and, thereby, rise above the media clutter) has been utilized by many companies worldwide. Some-like Benetton-have at the same time amazed and disgusted people; while some-like Barnardo-have been very successful in fulfilling the objective behind the advertisements. This article tries to throw light on the concept of Shock Advertising with the help of some eminent examples and ends with the relevance of the concept in India.

It is a very crowded media marketplace. Getting recognized above the noise certainly should not be the last resort. The advertiser is looking to achieve resonance with the product, not simply short-term recognition.

Let us go back to India in 1991. The country was just on the verge of experiencing the initial waves of globalization. One advertisement that created a huge uproar was that of `Kamasutra' condoms. With explicit images of a couple in a compromising position and a tag line `For the pleasure of making love', it came as a shock to the Indian society which was, at that time, still very conservative. However, it was successful in positioning itself as a product addressing values rather than functionality. The product was able to establish itself as the second largest selling condom brand in India within a short period of time. A little `shock' did the trick. Using imagery which `shocks' the audience or makes them uneasy is a trick used by advertisers to rise above the media clutter. Companies such as Benetton have been using this for many years and some of their ads have even been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority² (ASA) of UK on moral grounds.

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