Advertising on Indian TV – a few observations

The closest connection I ever had with advertising was in b-school when I chose an elective by the name ASP (advertising and sales promotion). I think I have been educated more since then by the regular bombardment of ads. There is no escaping from ads whether on TV, radio or on print and I can’t help thinking over them. With some recent ads I realized that stereotyping is a long standing tool in the field of advertising. You will find Gujjus named Jignesh, Tams with their veshti and pattai, Panjus with names like Bobby & Pintoo, house maids with names like ‘Kanta ben’ or ‘kanta bai’, House wives with names like ‘Sarla madam’ etc. I couldn’t help asking why so much stereotyping is needed. The answer is simple – ads need to achieve a lot in a matter of seconds. Stereotyping helps the audience to connect immediately. People recognize stereotypes instantly, once this is done, the message can be passed on more smoothly. Well, with this in mind I think I can tolerate satirical ads with stereotypes more now.

While on the subject of advertisements one more thing that has bemused me is the rampant use of westerners for Indian products to be used by Indian consumers. Does using western models make a product / service look more premium? I think the perception among the general population is exactly that and ad firms make full use of this. In the process they are doing a big disservice to the morale of the populace. What they are in reality reinforcing is this – use this product and lead a superior life like that westerner! Instantly pushing you to a lower plane; similarly, this scourge can be seen in the promos on sports channels and news channels with voice over – rarely do I find an Indian voice announcing ” The heat is catching on, do not miss the upcoming in India Pakistan series. It is the mother of all cricketing battles”

I am sure this discussion would have done the rounds in many an ad firm’s meeting rooms hundreds of times. Let’s just hope that some day we get over this.

(c) Suresh Damodaran,2007