Rituals: We need to work harder to recreate the magical warm moments

Travelling by a Jet flight to Singapore, I savored my few hours of suspension from reality...reclined my seat, selected and put on movie... a few minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to see the hostess walk up with a bag of popcorn . Who said you cannot have pasta, or bhujiya or an omelet whilst watching a film? Why is it that just popcorn seems so right? Why does its smell enhance the feel of the film? Truth is that it is a ritual which has been part of our movie going experience. A film seems incomplete without it.

It set me thinking that we are creating less of such rituals in our lives and in our brands. Be it in religion where the often heard refrain is “I am not ritualistic” or it’s near absence in our brand world save a few that we still remember. The Close up created ‘Ha Ha’ of the breath ritual or breaking of the Kit Kat wafers, or the salt- tequila shot- lime ritual, the familiar Corona beer and a lime around which there are many theories- ranging from a Mexican habit to that of a Californian a bartender curious to see how long it would take for a new drinking ritual to catch on, and of Corona beer being favorite with construction site workers and their practical idea of inserting a sliver of lime to stop the dirt from the site getting into it.

Some rituals become synonymous with the product - Birthday cake is pretty unthinkable without the customary candle ritual or shaking and popping of the champagne bottle or even earlier on trying to shake dry the Polaroid photo and closer home, for many, that of dipping glucose biscuit in tea.

Sure it could be debated whether some of the above are examples of rituals or mere accompaniments. But instead of ‘add ons’ I’d call it an irreplaceable aspect which enhances consumption.

Something that elevates a product from mere functionality and adds an emotional value giving it layered experience and personality is to my mind a ritual. Actual consumption is a very simple and direct process. Sex in itself is a pretty basic act, but the rituals created around it — the wooing, the clothes, food, certain kind of music, lighting - add to its experience.

It is true that with the commoditization of brands and homogenization of value propositions, brands need to create deep and meaningful bonds. These in turn, generate loyalty that goes a long way in building business profitability and brand relationships. After all, bonds and associations with products are omnipresent in our daily lives.

Many of us may fondly remember “Kichidi ke chaar yaar- dahi papad ghee achaar- practice. A basic mundane mish mash of a dish is elevated to a meal which we love. To have it any other way may only tinker with the taste, but it perhaps alter the entire experience. It’s the little ritual of having these 4 side dishes which makes the experience of having the meal complete.

The human orientation for aesthetics comes in to play here. We do not want to accept that we are doing such a ‘basic’ thing as gulping food. We need to set ourselves apart from a primal desire of hunger. We do not want to accept the bare stripped stuff. The desire to not feel animalistic, but artistic. A four course meal, art of garnishing... it’s all an attempt to attach layers and meanings to basic acts of necessities.

Over a period of time these layers enhance the product. You see people don’t consume products they also consume memories. “Maa ke haath ka khana” may not have much to do with taste, but the memory of the happy times and the warmth of love. Probably if you have a competition of “mom cooked meal” ones’ mother’s dish may be amongst the bottom lot. But then actually the food is not the reason why you cherish it.

Those small rituals of family around the table, perhaps grandmother feeding you the first bite, or you swiping the hot chapatti from your sibling or your mother loading your plate to the brim, may have disappeared as one grew older, but it’s those very spontaneous rituals which enhanced the taste of that food. And later on in life when you crave the same dish, it’s more about revisiting that experience, recreating that magic.

In a similar vein ‘Hotel California’ is not so much to do with the song and composition, but perhaps equally so to do with the experience of hostel and graduate life. Music for many is a memory transportation device. It reminds one of a cherished experience.

Rituals allow you to operate in this space. They go beyond habits and routines to create a deeper bond and become an integral part of people’s lives. They create an enriched experience in a unique way only that brand can provide. Creating a ritual around a product or service takes time, but can become a powerful asset to your brand. However, it’s essential that they are carefully crafted. If they have to become a seamless part then they have to be simple, from human life. Rituals should not be generated in the board room, but by observing and understanding people’s behavior.

Lately, we seem to be creating more of the former. Certain so-called brand rituals — of kids chanting three nonsensical words and doing hip shaking dance or doing a headstand before drinking their milk — is of the former kind and will not go too far and have its own short lived life. Many time as advertisers we confuse memory hooks with rituals. Rituals should be inspired from consumer behavior not a figment of our imagination. Only then will the ritual make the experience more elaborate, more intricate and will find more takers.

While I munch on the popcorn, I feel probably we need to work harder to recreate the magical warm moments called rituals.