Thirty seconds was all that Chintu needed to become the favorite topic for memes, trolls, and roasting videos on the internet.
For those who do not know Chintu, he is a whiz kid who has supposedly developed an app by learning coding at WhiteHat Jr. that has left international investors fighting each other for investing rights, at least that is what the advertisement of WhiteHat Jr. shows.
The ad is being criticized by many as they feel it is misleading gullible parents and children. They feel the ad is targeting parents’ weakness of providing the best for their children. Others have taken to social media and trolled Chintu/WhiteHat Jr, called them snake oil peddlers, etc.
Before we continue, have a look at this video. I am sure you will enjoy it.
After looking at the video, you might have understood that these ads. are not meant to be taken literally, they are only trying to deliver a message creatively. Why can’t we treat Chintu’s ad as such?
According to research in Neuromarketing [The science of consumer decisions], consumers make their buying decisions either consciously or unconsciously.
Conscious decisions are based on facts, research, and logic. Unconscious decisions are based on emotions, feelings, and intuitions. It should be known that almost all advertisements try to tap into the unconscious side of a consumer. In simple words, all brands try to persuade customers into buying their products. It is up to us to choose the product that we genuinely need.
As critics claim, WhiteHat Jr is targeting those with FOMO (fear of missing out). Typical social anxiety that leads individuals to think an exciting or interesting event may be happening elsewhere. In the case of Chintu’s ad, the anxiety is parents believing that their kids will miss out on a great opportunity if they do not enroll them in the coding course.
Although this may be true to some extent, parents are equally responsible for understanding what the child really wants to learn. Parents should not force their kid into something “Sharma Ji ka beta” is good at.
As a teacher myself, I would like to make the following suggestions to those of you thinking about pushing your kids into coding.
Don’t let anyone talk you in or out of getting your kids into coding classes, not even Chintu/WhiteHat Jr. Know that it depends on the interest of your child and your resources.
Understand that your child might not turn out to be the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg or the next Sundar Pichai. All coding classes teach only the basics of coding, and the chances of your kid becoming a coding-prodigy are infinitesimal.
Coding is a language to communicate with a computer. As our dependency on technology is increasing every day, it is a good idea to know how tech works and thus coding might be a relevant skill to learn and a good-to-have skill. Coding can help kids develop reasoning, logical, and critical thinking.
Why so Serious
Let ads be ads, let them take creative liberties. Advertisements are all about getting your attention. Chintu seems to be doing a great job at that.
As far as Chintu ne App Banaya, who do you think is making the choice here, Chintu and WhiteHat Jr. or Parents and/or the Children? Let us know in the comments below.
Views are personal.
