The evolution of Indian society and its impact on advertising

Abstract

India is in the throes of change. There is a wave of modernization flowing through the Indian Society, especially the middle class. The concepts and ideas which are now acceptable to the people are totally different from those which were prevalent a couple of decades back. With the infusion of western culture in the Indian society, people are now opening up to a host of new ideas and opinions that were not expected in the past. The people are becoming more demanding than their predecessors and make more informed choices with respect to the products that they are willing to buy. What used to be a seller’s market once is rapidly evolving into a buyer’s market. Another reason for this is the growing competition and the involvement of multinational corporations owing to globalization. It is quintessential that the advertisements also move with time to cater to the evolving target audience. Another reason for the ongoing metamorphosis in advertising is with regard to social issues. The problems that existed in the past may or may not be the same, but the paradigm of bringing out the message has certainly changed with time. What is of interest to us is how this message can be communicated to the new society while being subtle yet impactful. We have undertaken a study on the evolution of Indian society due to various external environmental factors and its impact on Advertising and vice versa. The periods of evolution in Indian Society can be loosely mapped to the corresponding stages in evolution of advertising. The underlying factors affecting both these domains are very similar and it is very difficult to identify which change has occurred first. It is akin to solving the proverbial question: The Chicken came first or the egg