wincing , and then - with a crunch - the boulder slides back downhill , throwing them to the ground .
But not so fast . One by one , they stand up and unchain themselves . Unburdened , they walk with gritted smiles and purpose up the dusty talus slope , leaving the boulder behind . Cue the soaring music . Cue the blue-sky vistas . Cue the tag line : “ Keep Walking Mexico .”
It ’ s a brilliant ad , and you ’ d be forgiven for not immediately realizing it ’ s for Scottish booze . The only hint is the familiar Johnnie Walker logo , the stylized “ Striding Man ,” accompanying the tag line .
The metaphor of national achievement is clear , but the ad doesn ’ t just tell the story of Mexico today . It also highlights Johnnie Walker ’ s aggressive push into emerging markets and the rush by multinational consumer-products companies to catch the middleclass tsunami that is transforming the world .
The article also draws an example from back home , “ And in Africa , the newest gold mine of emerging markets ”, Diageo is cultivating a fresh generation of whisky drinkers . In downtown Nairobi , a 20-story billboard of the Striding Man towers alongside a skyscraper .
African musicians and athletes have been named “ brand ambassadors ,” and premium magazines are running a series of print ads that say simply : “ Step Up .” As in , step up to a better life , step up to the middleclass , step up from that stale beer to a higher state of being : Become a whisky drinker ”.
A lot more needs to be done to educate our middleclass . Poverty is bad and exercising providence is sensible . What is required is to find a fair balance between a back-up for the future and ‘ relaxing the belt ’ to enjoy today .
People who have successfully struggled against poverty require confidence and a positive view about the future and their abilities . More brands need to come out and dig deep for insights that hinder full and free self-expression , hinder
consumption , and hinder enjoyment of what we truly deserve .
Herman Githinji is a seasoned marketing practitioner and law graduate from the University Of Nairobi . Currently the CEO Bidco Land O ’ Lakes Company that makes quality Animal Feeds using American Technology . You can commune with him on this and related issues via email on : Hermangithinji @ gmail . com .