For my Consumer Behaviour class, I have to present something, that showcases what we have learned in the class. My professor loves to know what is happening in countries other than the US, so I thought of picking up Indian adverts. I have not really watched TV in a year, but back home when I did, I used to criticize adverts more than the actual stuff that I was watching. There are many stupid ones, and quite a few are impressive, smart. Here are some that I have picked for my class. My list was longer than this, but there is time constraint. I hope they will show some aspects of India, in terms of norms, values, taboo, and other societal and cultural things attached with India, and how marketing people have made use of those.
1. Arranged marriage – A guy’s family sees a girl’s. The guy just looks at her, and agrees. She is beautiful, and that’s enough for him. His dad has a list though. Can she sing is what he asks. She sings, and says that she can do more, and dances too. Mirinda, as a brand, in India, is about doing what you feel like doing, fearlessly. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65DbA-baZYA The language spoken is Tamil.
2. Office humour – Camlin is a lot about creative adverts. This is just a build-up for the next advert to come. I might have to cut this out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiHUw-Hz3BU The language spoken is, of course, English.
3. This advert speaks for itself – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKthceSGlyM Language spoken is Hindi
4. India-Pakistan war – The never-ending war, where we have only tried putting each other down. Airtel has always used some good adverts, and this is just one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLLc0mJyAic Language spoken is Urdu
5. Bollywood – This advert is a funny take on a typical Bollywood romantic dance number – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mS2BXagtFc
6. Norms and values – The song in Hindi says that we are changing, advancing, but we still respect our culture. In India, if your foot touches someone by mistake, they touch you, and then touch their forehead, a way of saying sorry. Some such other norms and values – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIGAniJxmds I might get rid of this one, because I don’t personally like a lot of those “norms and values”. But I might even retain it, because it is not about my feelings, it is about showing to the class what’s what.
7. Cricket. Cricket. Cricket. It’s a religion in India, that almost everyone follows. Cricketers are stars, Gods. IPL seasons are mad, and there have been some amazing adverts that have gone viral during cricket seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXYK-KivZWg This is a very old advert that every Indian can still watch and enjoy. Brings goosebumps. I might have to cut this out though. But it’s very cute, so I might keep it.
ZooZoos, who are actually masked ballet dancers, took India by storm in the season two of IPL. They were a marketing campaign by Vodafone networks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0xUpr3RH0w
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plCZ8HtiOb8 They speak unintelligible launguage
8. Diversity – India is so diverse, that it is really difficult even for an Indian from one part to understand one from another. Unity in diversity is one of India’s mottos, and a lot of brands have used it beautifully.
Nike has used cricket and diversity – Bleed Blue – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52tY338hhdg
Amul, unarguably the favourite dairy brand of India – British brought it to India, and called butter “utterly butterly”. Even Indians in the US look for Amul butter everywhere – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndv6gdZ7M0
CocaCola – It says that we are all the same. We look different, but our favourite cold drink is the same – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFXb6a301DE
Last but not the least, an advert by Incredible India, a marketing campaign by Indian Government, to promote tourism in India. It covers the snow-capped mountains, deserts, backwaters, nodding head sideways when meaning “yes”, ayurveda, yoga, Atithi Devo Bhava (Sanskrit for “Guest is God”), etc. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qBE_Z8JbzY
I was going to include Raymond suitings adverts too, because they have proven that babies, puppies, a sweet husband, a reliable son-in-law, can never go wrong. They have mostly used modern Indian households to show these. But it would have been kind of a drag. I was also going to add the Fevicol Moochwali advert. You live the story of a poor girl stuck with a moustache, and just as you fall in love with the character, she dies. But there’s rebirth 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUc4iKIAPV8 I might keep this, depending on the time left, and how the class will have responded to all of the above.
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