Unlike big time spenders, most businesses rarely have the resources to develop unique ad campaigns for different consumer niches. Few businesses make two TV commercials, one for urban markets and the other for rural, for their brands.

For them, one campaign must fit all.

This is a tall order in our increasingly fragmented society, which ranges from the high-end yuppies to the rural millionaire and the have-nots. But when many segments are viable candidates for your products or services, your ads can speak their universal language. I believe completely in what Lord Maurice Saatchi told me during my interactions with him: keep it surt, or simple, universally recognisable truth.

How will you develop universally appealing ads that would fit all?

Convenience: Everyone appreciates ease of purchase or use. Where possible, tout such advantages as location, hours, speed, design, and packaging. In this frustratingly complicated world, people relate to simplicity. Even the smallest of banks has ATMs today. Why do supermarket concept is fast catching on? The convenience of getting everything under one roof is one major factor.

Respect: Wealthy people have become accustomed to it, and senior citizens demand it. The downtrodden will reward your respect with undying loyalty. You cannot go wrong by conveying your sincere appreciation for all customers in every ad.

Value: The rich became rich through savvy financial management, so they have not forsaken insistence on getting their money’s worth. The downscale have no choice. Meanwhile, everyone in between has been burned at least once. Guarantee value, and everyone will come running.

Consistency: If you sell something frequently purchased, promise customers that it will always meet or exceed their expectations. It is amazing how important little things are to us all. For example, restaurants can offer colour pencils and paper to kids while they wait for food and a confectionery shop could place a free sample on the countertop before filling the order. Such actions will establish an indelible bond with your customers.

Control: All customers like to call the shots: from requesting menu substitutions to specifying delivery time. Adjust your product or service to meet their needs. Assure flexibility in your ads.

Family: Most people consider their family unit extremely important even in these modern times. While some live alone, most have an extended, multigenerational family. This can represent a degree of immortality for the old and an anchor for the young. Depicting family members in ads, regardless of regions or religion, can tug at universal heartstrings.

Home: For some, home is a one-room in a congested slum area or even a hut. For others, it is a bungalow or a penthouse. For most us, home means our own bed, our favourite chair, the refrigerator, the TV, and perhaps the home PC. When it comes to everyday creature comforts, we are all pretty fundamental. Tapping into these can quickly bridge niche gaps.

Imagination: Everybody has this ability. In fact, it is man’s (or woman’s) most common source of adventure. Used well, fantasy in advertising can capture the soul of even the blandest audience member. Until interactive media go mainstream, creative talent must inspire consumer involvement.

Joy: Happiness for its own sake should be aligned with many consumer products and services far more than it actually is. Again, we tend to cherish little things most. A pre-school kid smeared on face with your mixed fruit jam, a housewife satisfied with herself for the attention she is getting with your brand of talcum…the list is long. Suggest that life is all too short, especially for those missing out on your offerings.

The writer is the CEO and managing director of CustomerLab Solutions