A Reflection On Indigo’s “Sleep With Your Wife” Tagline

 We are living in an era where everything is advertised, anything can be advertised and lac of brains are simply working on catching the catchy taglines. In other words they are trying their level best to catch our brains. And the journey started from 1970s with the ads of Nirma washing powder, Lux Soap and Colgate etc and today it’s Indigo selling same day flights “Sleep With Your Wife”.

I am not being paid for favouring Nirma, colgate or Lux and neither my opinion is going to affect Indigo but its my own satisfaction that I am not supporting such cheap & unhealthy marketing strategies that’s all.

I have no idea where was this billboard displayed, since how long and was really displayed or not. I came across a post on Linkedin today and found this disturbing and I really wish this should disturb each one of us.

I always questioned why an advertisement be it men’s wear, radio, TV,  or anything else needs a woman in short clothes unnecessarily but it’s a trend. I am questioning this tagline too.

The message is actually promoting ‘same-day return flights’ and means you can be at home at the end of your business travels but this is not an email just read between the sender and receiver but in the public domain and not just read by couples. Is it appropriate?

As a teacher, school Principal, coach and an observer of societal trends, I can’t ignore the ripple effect of such messages-not just on consumer, but on the psyche of a society that reads between the lines.

Cleverness or a Trap?

Marketing is often about catching attention. More disruptive, better the recalling. But the phrase “Sleep with your wife” is not in a subtle way but deliberately plays on a double meaning. There is always a thin line between smart branding and cheap attention seeking which seems to be blur in this case. 

What are we teaching?

As an educator I am finding it difficult to explain to those who are on their journey to know how to build respectful, healthy perceptions of relationships, consent and dignity. Parents must be finding it challenging to explain such messages to the teens who might not be asking but expressing suppressed laughter or discussing later in friend’s group.

Our children learn not only from classrooms but from billboards, street language, TV ads and mobiles, in fact everything they come across.  What cultural curriculum we are feeding the young minds through such displays is the question?

Language that was once reserved for privacy became public property and when everything becomes casual what remains in the name of sacred?

The advertisers are the powerful storytellers, their words shapes the perceptions but they should understand the difference between vulgarity and visibility, understand the personal and public health and stop mocking the values of the audience.

I just want the readers to take a pause, reflect and speak up if it did bother them and created discomfort to them. Remember, the change begins with conscious conversation.

Let’s not forget: what we normalize today becomes our children’s normal tomorrow. Let’s be wise and be vocal.

-Manisha