AN ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY ADVERTISEMENTS BASED …

Kushal De & Suchitra Kumari

77Time’s Journey/ISSN : 2278-6546 Vol. 8, No. 1/January 2019

AN ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARYADVERTISEMENTS BASED ON GENDER CONTENTS

Kushal De*Suchitra Kumari**

[Advertisement is a powerful modern tool to condition behaviour and responses in a society.It is one such field where subtle forms of gender discrimination are portrayed and unconsciouslypeople’s attitudes are conditioned by what they observe as they usually believe it to be true.Based on popular modern day commercial advertisements from 2013 to 2018, the presentpaper makes an honest attempt to classify them into gender preferences based on messagesprojected. It is observed that almost all of the advertisements chosen have an undercurrentmeaning which is targeting the subconscious mind of the audience. The breadwinner-homemaker model, the dominant irresistible masculinity, the obediently loving womanhoodand the gender role stereotyping is time and again depicted in one form or the other throughthe advertisements, thereby, concretising social perceptions regarding gender roles. Watchingthe advertisements repeatedly influences the behaviour and rational thought pattern of theobserver, thereby leading to behavioural modification or change.

Keywords: Gender, Advertisement, Role Conflict, Behaviour, Sexuality.]

Introduction

* Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Dhruba Chand Halder College, E-mail: [email protected]** Independent Researcher, E-mail: [email protected]

Long time ago, the creator wished tocreate two people who would representthe world’s future that lay ahead. Hecreated a yin and a yang, which weremade out of the same clay. So except afew differences, both of them had thesame reactions to most of the things. Boththese forms of life wore the same clothesand commanded the same respect fromone another. History reveals that thegender roles became rigid since the Vedicperiod as women’s role was defined and

so were the men’s. In the 21st century, notmuch has changed except the portrayalsof gender and taking consideration into‘yin’ and ‘yang’ too specifically. Thishappened gradually as the generationsprogressed as some people with power,authority and their fragile ego couldn’tbear to be looked down upon by women.Hence, they wrote books and spreadstories regarding the indomitable spirit ofwomen and also started preaching that itwould cause uproar in the family if


An Analysis of Contemporary Advertisements based on Gender Contents

women became dominant and powerful.This attitude can still be observed inmodern societies. The examples includeunequal wages for the same amount ofwork done in the same environment,extra opportunities for one gender whilesubtle gestures are made to deter theother, deferment of gratification for onegender etc. Advertisement is one suchfield where subtle forms of genderdiscrimination are portrayed andunconsciously people’s attitudes areconditioned by what they observe as theyusually believe it to be true.

Kotler, Armstrong and Agnihotri opinedthat “Advertising is any paid form ofnon-personal presentation andpromotion of goods, services, or ideas byan identified sponsor.” According toFrank Presbrey, “Advertising is a printed,written, oral and illustrated art of selling.Its objective is to encourage sales of theadvertiser’s products and to create in themind of people, individually orcollectively, an impression in favor of theadvertiser’s interest.” So, advertisingconsists of all activities involved inpresenting to a group a non-personal, oralor visual, openly sponsored identifiedmessage regarding a product, service oridea. The message, called anadvertisement, is disseminated throughone or more media and is paid for by theidentified sponsor. The modern daycorporations use it as an armour tospread messages and the followingbenefits are usually observed for theadvertiser:

It is crucial for the launch of a brandnew product, service or idea in the market.

It is a prime source of revenue forpublishers of newspapers, magazines,websites, TV channels etc.

It is done to promote goods, services,ideas and events.

It creates an interest in advertisedproducts and services which leads tohigher demands and eventually highersales.

It creates awareness by informingconsumers.

It has the ability to reach masses andeducate the society.

It is an element of marketing mix, itsupports sales promotion

It is target-oriented in nature.

It builds brand image.

It generates employment.

Just like humans have a skeleton on topof which muscles, organs and skin arelater added to make the human lookattractive, similarly the base of anadvertisement is a simple message, whichis given a coating of spiciness or emotionsto endear it to a large audience.

The general notion of men always beinghard and brainy and women soft anddumb has been challenged time and againleading to the conclusion that everyonehas a unique combination of all bits andpieces and they alone have the power tocarve their own futures.

It is often seen that advertisements creategender policing in kids. A child watchingtelevision or surfing the internet comesacross advertisements showing emotional



withdrawal which stop them fromexpressing things that they otherwisewould have done without giving athought. These advertisements areharming kids these days and puttingshackles on their emotions.Advertisements which are harmful forone’s mental health should be bannedfrom being aired as watching them issimilar to being exposed to a nuclearexplosion. The latter kills you at once butthe former cripples your activities for life.

Again some advertisements whichportray for fairness creams actuallydepict that only dark-skinned people canbecome fair and seem lovely too. Not oncedo they show a fair-skinned humanbecome more angelic. They have alwaysbeen the catalyst having 100% successrate of changing the reactants intoproducts and the products always seemto be universally accepted in nature, sinceat the end of the day marketers too needto be accepted to earn their bread andbutter. An advertisement can be forcefullyseen by someone for the first time, but itssubsequent effect and related purchasewill only be determined if it strikes a chordwith the audience. Consumer behavior is

similar to the saying that you can bring ahorse to the pond, but you can’t makehim drink water forcefully. If consumersfind an advertisement repulsive theymight not watch that brands nextadvertisement again. This in turn will leadto fewer viewer ratings and more peopleskipping before they see the wholeadvertisement, eventually leading to themarketing brand becoming lessfavourable amongst companies. Theadvertisement should be made in such away that people are inspired to become abetter version of their previous self. Theyshould be relatable as well because theyoung generation looks at the content ofthe advertisement in the same manner asthey would look up to parents andbelieves each message to be true.

It must be remembered thatadvertisement is just a gimmick createdby the company in order to boost theirsales. This is the reason that BMW, HarleyDavidson, Boroline and pharmaceuticaldrugs are seldom advertised. This isbecause these companies have confidencein their products and believe that theproduct will speak for itself.

According to Kotler, Armstrong and Agnihotri (2018), the possible objectives ofadvertisement may be classified as follows:

Informative Advertisement Communicating customer value Building a brand and company image Telling the market about a new product Explaining how a product works Suggesting new uses for a product Informing the market of a price change Describing available services and support Correcting false impression



Persuasive Advertisement Building brand preferences Encouraging switching to a brand Changing customer perceptions of product value Persuading customers to purchase now Creating customer engagement Building brand community

Reminder Advertisement Maintaining customer relationships Reminding consumers that the product may be

needed in the near future Reminding consumers where to buy the product Keeping the brand in a customer’s mind during

off-seasons

Keeping in view the above discussion, thepresent paper makes an honest attemptto classify the modern day commercialadvertisements based on genderedpreferences and messages projected andbased on the sample selected, meaningfulinferences have been drawn.

Data and Methodology

For the purpose of this study, the 113popular advertisements from the timeperiod of 2013 to 2018 were selected fromthe net. Only those advertisements wereselected which had an innate subtle

message besides projecting the intendedproduct for the customers. The contentswere jolted down in details and 50advertisements were taken up for finalstudy which had a distinct gender biasand also the contents could be lucidlycoded. For the purpose of this paper, themain contents of the advertisement arebriefly mentioned in the description andthey are further classified based on themessage content and gender depiction.Meaningful inferences are drawn basedon these classifications.

Findings from the Study:

Advertisement Projecting Male SuperioritySl.No.

1.

Advertisement

Biba #ChangeThe Conversation

Description

A son tells his mother that the meetingfor his son’s marriage fixation wentwell and he has agreed to give thegirl’s family some cash and gifts.Initially the mother was shocked butunderstood her son’s viewpoint whenher son reasoned that they were giving

Classification

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Correcting falseimpressions



Sl.No.

2.

3.

4.

Advertisement

Seagram’sImperial Blue#Men Will Be Men

Virgin Mobile#Think Hatke

Havells #Let’s EndDiscrimination

Description

their most precious possession tothem.Note: In this advertisement thefather is deciding whether to take orgive gifts (dowry).

Two men with paunches are shownin a lift. As soon as the lift stops anda lady steps in, their paunches aretucked in showing their fitbodies.Note: In this advertisementmen’s mentality of looking appealingto the other gender is portrayed inthe lift as they tuck their paunchesin while the lady is there and releaseit as soon as she leaves.

It shows a man trying to hit on a girlin the lift. When the lift opens theboss cum father is standing there.The man thinking the boss mightenjoy his joke tells him about herbody measurements complete witha show of hands. Just then the girlcalls the boss “Daddy” and theemployee realizes he did the gravemistake of telling a father about hisdaughter’s figure. This leads to himlosing his job.Note: It is a male-dominated advertisement since inthis we can see that all the man couldthink about was shapes and curves.

An old man is shown directing alaborer to change tube lights andbulbs. Just then a girl comes as atenant along with a broker. Thebroker tells the man the girl wantsto rent a room and live alone. Theold man is hesitant at first and triesto deny her but he finally agrees to

Classification

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandpreference

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandcommunity

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Telling themarket about anew product



Sl.No.

5.

6.

7.

Advertisement

Gillette Ad#The Best MenCan Be

Nike Equality

Surf Excel Tez

Description

let her stay since suddenly the tubelight is switched on and the light ofequality is shining brightly uponhim.Note: This advertisementdepicts the old man’s mentality andproved that girls living singly are stillfrowned upon.

In this advertisement the fathers areshown teaching their sons to bestrong because they have realizedthat the kids of today will be the menof tomorrow. So if they are improvednow it means the next generationwill automatically be improved.Note: This advertisement portraysthe toxic masculinity in the #Me Tooera and that children should betaught its okay to fall and noteverything can be resolved by a fight.

This advertisement shows that sinceequality has no boundaries so peopleshould absorb the fairness andrespect they seen in sport andtranslate it off the field.Note: Thisadvertisement shows only maleswhile touching upon an importantaspect like equality.

A family gathering scene is shown,where the sister says she won’t eatbecause there is no biryani. Then thebrother assembles different fooditems in order to make biryani for hisupset little sister who eats ithappily.Note: This advertisementshows that the brother is able to doanything to make his sister happy.

Classification

MaleEmpowerment;Persuasiveadvertisement,Persuading topurchase now

Social message;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandpreference

Love; Reminderadvertisement,Reminding allthat the productmay be neededin the nearfuture



Sl.No.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Advertisement

Mc Donald’sBoyfriend &Girlfriend

Dove Men + Care#Real Strength

Mahindra XUV500 (2018) #MayYour Life Be FullOf Stories

Mahindra XUV500 (2012)

Description

A small girl asks a guy if he was herBoyfriend. He says no since girls arevery demanding, but she says sheisn’t as she only wants one thing.Then she looks at the front and thereis a Mac Donald’s store upfront. Shesays she only wants 1 Mc Aloo Tikki.The little guy thinks whether he hasthe money for it and then pats hispocket and says yes.

Note: This advertisement projectsthat the little guy is having themoney to fulfill his girl’s wishthereby depicting him as a provider.

Children think of their dad as asuperhero and always look for himeverywhere. What actually makes aman strong is his ability to care forhis children and family. He alwaysputs them before himself.

Note: This advertisement portraysfathers as being all powerful andsolely focuses on them as being asuperman.

A man is shown racing cars andsaving a woman from a band ofdacoits. He finally defeats thedacoits and gets the woman.

Note: This advertisement shows theman being all encompassing and isgood enough to protect a woman’sdignity and he, when coupled witha SUV are undefeatable.

A guy recalls his adventures of beingstranded in a forest where he comesacross beautiful women who looked

Classification

Love;Informativeadvertisement,Telling themarket about anew product


Maleempowerment;Persuasiveadvertisement,Persuading topurchase now

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,



Sl.No.

12.

13.

14.

Advertisement

The Axe Effect

Axe Destiny –The Power Of aFragrance

Axe #Is It OkayFor Guys

Description

from some other world. He gets led bythem and finds himself being cookedalong with carrots in a pot. Then hejumps out and runs with the help ofone woman who risked her life to savehim. From then onwards he despiseseating carrots.

Note: This advertisement shows thatmen who are irresistible are highlyvalued by the women.

The woman gets so charged up by theman that she breaks his house’s glasswindow and rockets into him throughit.

Note: This advertisement tries to provethat a man having an attractivefragrance is irresistible and womenwould do anything to get to him.

This advertisement says that axe canchange even destiny as it stopped twoperfectly alike people who werematched by fate but defeated by anexternal factor from meeting and athird guy who puts axe on, gets the girldespite them having no similarities.

Note: This advertisement shows a malewith certain features having the powerto get any girl he wants irrespective ofthe girl’s choice.

This advertisement shows that guys arevulnerable too and should be loved inthe same way as a girl.

Note: It speaks about males on thewhole and shows that even males wantlove.

Classification

Persuadingcustomers topurchase now

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,Persuading topurchase now

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,Encouragingswitching to abrand

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Correctingfalseimpressions



Classification



Disrespecttowardswomen;Informativeadvertisement,Explaining howa productworks

Sexuality;Persuasiveadvertisement,Encouragingswitching to abrand

Description

Two childhood friends who have beenfriends since childhood finally becomea couple when at one point the malefriend starts putting on Wild Stonewhich makes the girl get attracted tohis smell.

Note: This advertisement shows themen as being the pivotal point in man-woman relationship.

This advertisement shows a girlentering a lift which already has oneoccupant who has his luggages aroundhim. Just then she gets a whiff of theair and starts dropping suggestive hintsto the person in the lift. He understandsit’s his deodorant that is making heract in such a manner. Theadvertisement says “make them saythings they wouldn’t”.

Note: This advertisement shows theman as having the power to turn thegirl into a blubbering mess.

This advertisement shows a refereelistening to the scolding from a coachbut still remaining unaffected becausehis wife regularly shouts at him too.

Note: This advertisement shows thatman is having a superior position in arelationship as he chooses to remaincalm in the midst of rubbish.

It portrays differentiation, with thewoman being the sexy one and theman being the smart one.

Note: This advertisement shows themales as being far ahead of females asthey have superior brains.

Sl.No.

15.

16.

17.

18.

Advertisement

Wild Stone Edge#Just Friends NoMore

Wild Stone #TheDesperate

Budweiser #TuneOut

Go Daddy (2013)#Perfect Match



Sl.No.

19.

20.

21.

Advertisement

He For She –JWT New York

Biba #ChangeThe Question

Ariel Sons#Share TheLoad

Description

It shows a baby of indeterminategender being dressed up in genderspecific clothes and being asked tospeak accordingly. It says we shouldn’timpose anything on kids.

Note: This advertisement shows thatthe male babies should not be heldsuperior than female babies and everymale should be treated in the samemanner as a female.

A mother gets blatantly ignored by herhusband when she asks his opinion onher clothes. Later, she pampers herchild by giving her the attention. Thefather also wants to shower dueattention towards his daughter butrealizes his mistake when the girl saysshe expects to be treated like her mom.The advertisement says “Let’s loveourselves enough to become thewoman we want our daughter tobecome”.

Note: This advertisement shows malesdisrespecting females until their ownoffspring are brought in the picturewhich opens their eyes.

This advertisement shows a mothercleaning her son’s room while talkingto her daughter. The daughter informsher that she would have to quit her jobsince the home chores are so much thatshe is not able to go to office on time.The mother asks her why isn’t herhusband helping her, to which shereplies that he doesn’t know how to.‘Are we teaching our sons what we’vebeen teaching our daughters?’ The

Classification


Disrespecttowardswomen;Informativeadvertisement,Correcting falseimpressions

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Suggesting newuses for aproduct



Advertisement

Biba #ChangeTheConvention

Ariel #ShareThe Load

HavellsFan(2013)#Hawa Badlegi

Description

mother realizes this and starts trainingher son.

Note: This advertisement shows that theboy within the same family is havingmore flexibility and freedom as comparedto the girl.

The girl is conflicted as to how a samosameeting will help her understand if herprospective groom is worthwhile. Thedad asks if he can cook and he replies inthe negative but says he will learn it.

Note: This advertisement shows thatmales are having the upper hand inchoosing their partners and even if they‘don’t know their work’ they are still notrejected as they can ‘still learn it’.

It shows a dad watching his daughterdo all the work alone while the husbandwatches TV. He realizes that he had seta wrong example and vows to correct itprospectively.

Note: This advertisement shows that menhave the liberty to choose and dowhichever household chores they wantand also decide what to do at home andwhen.

In the registrar’s office when the officerasked the woman what would be hername after marriage, the man says he willtake up his wife’s surname aftermarriage.

Note: This advertisement shows that menhave the right to decide who takes theother partner’s surname after marriage.

Classification


Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Describingavailableservices andsupport

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Building abrand &companyimage

Sl.No.

22.

23.

24.



Advertisement

Bharat MatrimonySl.No.

25.

Description

The wife is going for a tour and thehusband doesn’t stop her eventhough former asks him to. He saysif he stops her that day then he willregret it for his entire life.

Note: This advertisement shows thateven working women are left at themercy of their husbands to decidewhether they should pursue withtheir prospective career or not.

Classification

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Suggestingnew uses for aproduct

The advertisements which project malesuperiority mostly show the innate desiresof men and their masculinity. Somescratch the surface and show what are

men really made up of, others show thatthe world would be a better place if onlymen heeded to females as equals if notmore.

Advertisement Projecting Female S+uperiority

Advertisement

Zigy.com

Bluestone.com#To Me WithLove

Sl. No.

1.

2.

Description

A daughter-in-law reminds hermom-in-law to take medicines on timeand when the mother-in-law asks herwhy did she still care for her; the girlsaid that she had divorced her sonand not his mother, so she wouldalways care and love her.

Note: This advertisement shows love,care and responsibility innate infemales in a positive light as they arethe ones who have always cared fortheir families.

Seeing a solitaire on her ring fingerof a female staff, all colleaguesassume she is engaged, but sheclarifies that she bought it for herself.This advertisement shows that thereis an unnatural hype regarding agirl’s marriage than a guy’s marriage.

Differentiation

Devotion;Persuasiveadvertisement,Creatingengagement

Social message;Persuasiveadvertisement,Changingcustomerperceptions ofproduct value



Sl. No.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Advertisement

Nike #Stop AtNothing

Dabur Vatika#Brave AndBeautiful

Nike- what aregirls made of#Believe InMore

NirmaAmbulance

Description

Note: This advertisement shows thatwomen can be independent in everyright and do not need a man to justifya ring.

We should not listen to opinions anddo what we want. If we stop atnothing then even a crazy dream ispossible.

Note: This advertisement showspowerful women who have stood theirground time and again and provedtheir indomitable spirit.

A cancer-survivor starts her morningby waking her daughter and makingbreakfast. She joins office whereeveryone wholeheartedly welcomes herand gives her a ‘kaala teeka’.

Note: This advertisement showswomen power and that one womanstanding for the other is what makesthe community stronger.

This shows a child saying girls aremade of iron and perseverance,bravery, skills, passion, heart, strengthand fire and that you are made of whatyou do.

Note: This advertisement glorifies thepower of women.

This shows four women helping anambulance out of the ditch as men lookon. It shows women as change-makersand not merely home-makers.Note: This advertisement showswomen as being more mindful of theirsurroundings as compared to theirmale counterparts.

Classification

Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Changingcustomerperceptions ofproduct value


Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandcommunity

Womanpower;Reminderadvertisement,Remindingthat theproduct maybe needed inthe near future



Advertisement

Nestle India#Educate TheGirl Child

TVS ScootyPep(2012)#Shake Em Up

Airtel-Boss orWife

Always #Like AGirl

Description

A child tells her friend she iscutting off her hair and dressingup like her brother because herfather says only the brother willgo to school so she has dressed uplike her brother because she toowants to go to school.

Note: This is a femaleempowerment advertisementsince it shows that the child willdo whatever it takes to go toschool.

A boy is eve-teasing two girls at asignal and whistles and zooms offwhen the signal opens. The girlseve-tease him too till he gets thetaste of his own medicine andapologizes.

Note: This advertisement showsthat women can give back asgood as they get only if they settheir mind to it.

A woman who is boss at workand wife at home handles bothjobs perfectly. Telling her husbandto come home fast she says to tellthe boss that wife is calling.

Note: This advertisement showsthat the woman is perfectlyhandling both roles efficientlywhile the husband tries to cope upwith his workload.

In this advertisement girls ofdifferent ages and a boy and aman are asked the question thatwhat does it mean to be like a girl.

Classification


Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandcommunity

Love; Persuasiveadvertisement,Encouragingswitching to abrand

Social message;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brand

Sl. No.

7.

8.

9.

10.



Classification

preference

Love; Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandcommunity

Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Building brandpreference

Description

The answers were varied with girlsabove puberty and men showing thefact that being a girl only mean to dosilly things. When the same questionwas asked to girls below puberty theyshowed that being a girl meansrunning, jumping and doingwhatever you wish to do without acare. Just when did the term ‘Like agirl’ start to be used as an insult? Girlsshould be proud of who they arefundamentally as they were andalways will be more capable thanboys.

Note: This advertisement shows thatlittle girls have taught their seniorswhat truly symbolizes being a girl.

In this advertisement a couple is beingshown teasing each other, clearlyindicating that they have known eachother for a long time. At the end thewoman indicates that if he doesn’t lether put the garland around his neckquickly she will put it in another’s.This causes the man to sober up andbend.

Note: This advertisement shows thatthe woman is strong enough to takeher own stand and make her partneroblige.

A woman meets her old flame at theairport, they talk and she realizes thathe has the same mindset as before andhe still believes that only a man’sprofessional work is important andwomen should quit.

Advertisement

WeddingJewellery byTBZ Garlands

Titan Raga#Her Life HerChoices

Sl. No.

11.

12.



Sl. No.

13.

14.

15.

Advertisement

Titan Raga#Mom ByChoice

Havells Coffeemaker#Respect ForWomen

Havells #TheHummaHumma Way

Description

Note: This advertisement shows thatwomen have made their own place inthe world and must move onirrespective of the circumstances andmust ignore men who are stuck with aprimitive mindset.

A woman celebrates her baby showerand when asked who is her biggestinspiration she says it’s her mombecause her mother looked after heralongside completing her PhD in her40s as well as travelling the world. Shesays being a mother is a choice andexcelling it is up to the womanconcerned.

Note: This advertisement shows thatwomen can be strong personalities ifthey choose to be so and can alwaysdo everything with a smile.

A mother arrives with her son for anarranged marriage meeting saying thatshe wants a daughter-in-law who willmake hot coffee for her son when hereturns tired from office saying that asher ‘only requirement’. The girl bringsher coffee maker and requests her tomarry her son with it since she isn’tgoing to marry only to make coffee.

Note: This advertisement speaks loudlyabout the women’s voice in modern era.

A woman teaches a man the correcttune for a song playing with usingkitchen utensils and appliances.

Note: This advertisement shows thewoman knowing all about music andcan play it using indigenous things

Classification

Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Creatingcustomerengagement

Social message;Remindingadvertisement,Remindingthat theproduct maybe needed innear future

Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Encouragingswitching to abrand



Classification

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Telling themarket about anew product

Womanpower;Persuasiveadvertisement,Persuadingcustomers topurchase now

Social message;Persuasiveadvertisement,Encouragingswitching to abrand


Descriptionwhile the man can only play usingsophisticated instruments.

The wife asks the clerk for a unisexwashing machine as she supposedlyhad a female one because herhusband refused to touch it. Shewanted her husband to be able to useit too.

Note: This advertisement shows thata woman is having the power toexert her mind and bring behavioralmodification.

A group was asked to guess a child’shobby by looking at her picture. Allchose wrong. The girl comes andsays why tough girls should looktough and says to look beyond looks.

Note: This advertisement shows thatthere are girls who are not afraid ofextreme sports and even excel in it.

A girl empties all the color from herneighborhood on herself so that herfriend can go to his Namaz ‘spotless’.Even if you get dirtied it gives us joywhen we help others.

Note: This advertisement shows thegirl as being the protector for hermale friend.

This shows that we are our worstenemies and we should learn tosympathize with ourselves and notbe too hard on ourselves.

Note: This advertisement shows thatevery woman must learns to loveherself, thereby making the world abetter place.

Advertisement

Lloyd UnisexWashingMachine

Dabur Gulabari#Am PrettyTough

Surf Excel#Rang LaayeSang

Dove #SpeakBeautiful

Sl. No.

16.

17.

18.

19.



Sl. No.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Advertisement

Dove #RealBeauty Sketches

Lipton GreenTea #EnnieMinnie

Cif Pisos (2015)

Inspiring TheFuture #Re drawThe Balance

Under Armour#I Will What IWant

Description

We are always harsh on ourselves.We should learn and appreciateourselves as real beauty lies in theeyes of the beholder.

Note: This advertisement shows thata woman has the power to eithermake or break herself as she sochooses.

A girl gets attracted to everythingwhich helps to lose weight.Eventually an actress advices her thatgreen tea + exercise is the ultimatesolution.

Note: This advertisement shows thatbeing fit and healthy are no longerrestricted to only one gender.

A Princess is shown cleaning a castlewith Cif Pisos and then getting readyto present herself to her princecharming.Note: This advertisement shows aprincess efficiently performing therole of a royal lady as well as of aservant.

It showed kids associating firefighters, fighter pilots and surgeonswith only men and it is time weredefined their perceptions.Note: This advertisement shows thatmodern females are so much morethan just being a wife to her husband.

This shows a model practicingkickboxing despite being a mother. Itsays that we should not be afraid todo what we want to do and goforward with it.

Classification


Body Shaming;Persuasiveadvertisement,Changingperceptions ofproduct value

Disrespecttowardswomen;Informativeadvertisement,Explaininghow a productworks


Social message;Persuasiveadvertisement,Changing



Description

Note: This advertisement projects thefemale as a symbol of strength andcourage.

An uncle asks a boy about his futureplans. The boy says masters from a topuniversity. The uncle asks him why heis studying so much since he willeventually take care of the house. Thebig question is “why ask a womanwhat you wouldn’t ask a man?”Note: This advertisement shows thatwomen should not be questionedabout careers when men aren’t.

Classification

customerperceptions ofproduct value

Social message;Informativeadvertisement,Communicatingcustomer value

Advertisement

Biba #ChangeFor Progress

Sl. No.

25.

The advertisements project that womenare full emotional attachments and theyare purposively more thoughtful. It isoften projected that if females decide ona thing, they will do it by putting theirbest foot forward.

Observation from the Study

Commercial advertisements are generallyintended to inform the customers abouta product, persuade them to choose theproduct ahead of its substitutes or remindthe probable customers about theexistence of the product. The modern daymainstream commercial advertisementsintend to cater to these needs and it hasbecome an important tool to promote anybrand ahead of competitors. Professionalteams design the advertisements and tryto make them as interesting andappealing as possible. An analysis of 50popular advertisements have been donefor the purpose of this study and it isobserved that almost all of them have anundercurrent meaning which is targeting

the subconscious mind of the audience.

Most of the purchase decisions are takenby consumers on the basis of theirperceptions, brand preferences andhaving a confidence on the integrity ofthe product. The advertisements besidesbuilding brand preferences, remindingproduct usage or persuading purchase;also depict the socio cultural ideals of thesociety where it is being aired. Watchingthe advertisements repeatedly sometimesinfluences the behaviour and rationalthought pattern of the observer, therebyleading to behavioural modification.

In this study the advertisements havebeen categorized under two heads onewhich shows male superiority and theother which shows female superiority.The advertisement projecting malegender’s superiority show that the maleshave an upper hand in a man-womanrelationship and the right to decide ongender role division in home or away.Males have the liberty to seduce any



unknown lady with their acquiredcharm, can be powerful enough to help awoman retain her dignity and benevolentenough to allow social liberty to a woman.On the other hand, advertisementsprojecting female gender’s superiorityshow that the females are loving andcaring even in the midst of storm. Evenadvertisements which shows females inrevolutionary roles project them ‘as oneof a kind’ on earth which are difficult toimitate for the common girl. Thebreadwinner-homemaker model, thedominant irresistible masculinity, theobediently loving womanhood and thegender role stereotyping is time and againdepicted in one form or the other throughthe advertisements, thereby, concretisingsocial perceptions regarding gender roles.

ConclusionIt is observed from the present study thatthe modern day commercialadvertisements portray subtle gendermessages which often go unnoticed by thecasual observer but they deeply influenceor condition the behaviours of theobserver. Due to censor cuts theadvertisers today cannot portray whatthey wished to do directly, hence they usemarketing gimmicks to make sure theiradvertisements are aired and viewed bylarge masses. Ultimately, theadvertisement which strikes a chord withthe neurons of the people will be the onewhich will make the telecastedadvertisement a hit.

The modern day commercials arereinforcing the patriarchal structure ofthe society in the times of equalopportunity. Equality is not projected as

a natural law of the society but is showneither being snatched from the jaws of asocial demon by a revolutionary femaleor being showered upon females by aliberal male. Any observer after watchingthese commercials might develop somedistorted perceptions regarding genderequality and gender roles. In conclusion,it can be said that the makers ofcommercial advertisements must take intoaccount the subtlest of meaning/ impactwhich their commercial might have on theviewer and plan their script accordingly.

References Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. and Agnihotri, P.

(2018), ‘Principles of Marketing’, PearsonIndia, Noida.

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/advertising/advertising-its-definitions-characteristics-and-objectives/48658

https://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2013/01/importance-of-advertising-why.html

Biba #ChangeTheConversation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_FIPOkczio

Seagram’s Imperial Blue music cd’s#MenWillBeMen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0I0PT7vmOk&feature=youtu.be

Virgin Mobile #ThinkHatke https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=ZnbMEkpBs48&list=PL54D9BD8C0FCFE6C0&index=1

Havells #LetsEndDiscrimination https:// w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /watch?v=jB5NVctNsIw

Gillette #TheBestMenCanBe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPPf3sZIo-Q



Nike Equality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWsUr MfDaG4

Surf Excel Tez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKVuQoe8BM

Mc Donald’s BF & GF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmNrvlQ73pU

Dove Men+Care #RealStrength https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoqWo3SJ73c

Mahindra XUV 500 2018#MayYourLifeBeFullOfStories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Uh3DtEOcE

Mahindra XUV 500 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJue4VKbWUk

The Axe Effect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm6m7hLXhmc

Axe Destiny- The Power of a Fragrancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGEHqwwC6J8

Axe #IsItOkForGuys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WySfa7x5q0

Wildstone Edge #JustFriendsNoMorehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc48_hBGdy8

Wildstone #TheDesperate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUgQQv97tU8

Budweiser 2004 #TuneOut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nnjNYrUK8E

GoDaddy 2013 #PerfectMatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr857fAYtnA

HeforShe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEqRhNSiseI

Biba #ChangeTheQuestion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6aXW3V-fpY

Ariel Sons #ShareTheLoad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QDlv8kfwIM

Biba #ChangeTheConvention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS_wwC8P12I

Zigy.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlb4SfKhsdM

Bluestone.com #To Me, With Love https://www.youtube .com/watch?v=2 -veyX036X4

Ariel #ShareTheLoad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwW0X9f0mME

Dabur Vatika hair oil #BraveAndBeautifulhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QomoNyfkqvg

Havells fan(2013) #HawaBadlegi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Ix2_-_-sg

Nirma Ambulance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cy7-5iKRf0

Nestle #EducateTheGirlChild https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nWIWKvCNTE

Anushka Sharma’s TVS Scooty Pep (2012)#ShakeEmUp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAjDZWx96N4

Airtel Boss or Wife https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BlI9nhqTE

Bharat Matrimony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNssBjL7AGE

Wedding Jewellery by TBZ garlands



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzOdbFq2vT8

Titan Raga Woman Of Today#HerLifeHerChoices https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v =zXRobOjVI9s

Titan Raga #MomByChoice https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v =TfYyAnJRkh0

Havells Appliances coffee maker#RespectForWomen https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v =MaJf0mNMqos

Havells respect for women #TheHummaHummaWay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a5thidK_To

Lloyd unisex washing machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOX0XrxYqpc

Dabur Gulabari #AmPrettyTough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ct2bCfPpD8

Surf Excel #RangLaayeSang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq7mN8oi8ds

Dove #SpeakBeautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NjBJjfuVFo

Dove #RealBeautySketches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE

Lipton green tea #EnnieMinnie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYl475YVRxE

Cif Pisos 2015- argentine cleaning producthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quLGlpVXuLA

Inspiring the future #RedrawTheBalancehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv8VZVP5csA

Under Armour #IWillWhatIWant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-V7cOestUs

Biba #ChangeForProgress https://w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v =k0NL02qPXl8

Always #LikeAGirl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

Nike what are girls made of#BelieveInMore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_iCIISngdI

Nike #StopAtNothing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjPXEf-fpaw

Documents

AN ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY ADVERTISEMENTS BASED …