Core Indian Values – an Advertising Perspective

INDIAN CONSUMER: CORE VALUES We are all consumers. Everyday, we consume goods and services as individuals, families, groups and organizations. With every passing year, the consumer has not only become smarter but also choosier with his purchase. On top of that, the fact that the competition and the variety of products available in the market only add to the marketers’ woes. To succeed in this dynamic and increasingly complex marketing environment marketers have an urgent need to learn and anticipate whatever they can about consumers.
The better they know and understand consumers the more advantageous it would prove when accomplishing their organizational objectives. In a diverse country like India, which is slowly shedding its conservative nature and is opening up to new possibilities on the marketorial front, it becomes even more difficult for an advertiser to understand his consumer’s behaviour. The Indian mentality is more complex and layered than our western counterparts. The culture of this country is very different from most others for it is home to various religions, languages, customs and values.
This amalgamation has led to the Indian consumer having various layers of reasoning behind every action. There are certain values that play a very important role while purchasing a product from the point of the view of the Indian consumer. An advertiser should keep these values in mind while targeting their Indian audience. 1. Family The Indian society is a family oriented one. Elder members of the family are considered to be the head of the family. Though joint families have now disintegrated into nuclear ones, the bond and importance of family remains the same.

Family is by far the most important reference group. The family is a major influence on the consumption behaviour of its members and generally the target market for most products. The consumption patterns of family members are seldom independent from those of other family members. There is an interdependent relationship between the members of the family. An advertiser selling family oriented products must target it for the benefit of every member of the family. Eg. Tata Ventura ad. 2. Peace Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict.
It also represents cosmic harmony. An individual seeks peace when he wishes to establish a personal relationship with the cosmos. India is country where different sects coming together causes chaos and conflict. Hence, peace is highly sought after both personally and internationally. An advertiser while selling a product, depending on its nature, must keep in mind the fact that his product must not invoke chaos in any form. He must try as much as possible to maintain decorum while advocating a product. Eg. Taj holidays. 3. Health India is slowly growing to be a very health conscious nation.
Indian food offers a diversity of dishes that are very tasty and each provide a different delight. But at the same time. Some of them can be very heavy and unhealthy with continuous consumption. In the fast paced of today’s times, health has become of utmost importance. Various fitness centers are being set up everywhere and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become very important to the average Indian consumer. Advertisers target this aspect of the Indian consumer while promoting various health related products. Eg. Saffola ads. D cold total ads 4. Time Time is of utmost importance in the Indian society. Natural time regulates ctivities with a “now” orientation. Indians have always factored in on time before starting or ending any event, both metaphysically and metaphorically. Time is considered to be an auspicious and important aspect for Indians. While making major purchases, time is factored in majorly. An advertiser can either portray the time factor majorly in his advertisement or he can portray it subtlely with respect to the product. Time also reflects the era the people live in and its dynamic nature. Eg. Hindustan times “It is time” campaign. 5. Will power. Will power is the strength to achieve the impossible or the difficult.
Indians consider will power to be a treasurable value as it may lead to various achievements. If one gets over their fears and has the will power to achieve what many consider to be impossible then that person is highly respected. Without will power, one cannot alter events or restore it to the original post. India’s history has been witness to the importance of will power among the Indian public. Advertisers can theme their ads on the basis of will power thereby promoting their product and also gain popular vote for encouraging strength. Eg. Mountain Dew Darr Ke Aage jeet hai ads 6. Security
A sense of security is very important in both a family and a community. Usually, the male member of the family is considered to be responsible for the security of the female counterparts in India. Females are especially protected in this society. But along with physical security, financial security has also become important for the modern Indian family. Many make investments so that the family is always financially secure. Protection of community is also a very important aspect as Indians are very community bound. Members of the same community usually have a sense of belonging and protection towards their other members.
Eg. LIC jeevan bima policy ad. 7. Age Since time old, age has played a very important role in the Indian society. A person’s age has been synonymous with the amount of respect given to them. Even today, older people are treated with utmost respect and obedience is expected of the younger ones. Wisdom and experience of a person is calculated in terms of his age. In today’s times, the youth are very instrumental to the decision making process while purchasing a product. On the basis of the product, the advertiser must carefully target his age group and center the ad around the mentality of the age group selected.
Eg. Raymond teacher ad. 8. Care Since the familial values are very strong in the Indian system, love and affection play an important role. Love and care for others is considered to be an important value especially with the members of family and friends. Unlike their western counterparts, Indian children live with their parents even after reaching adulthood and are duty bound to serve their parents in their old age as a token of their affection. Parents fuss over their children and take care of them protectively from a tender age and even beyond adulthood.
This feeling of care and affection is largely targeted by marketers to sell their products for they hit a soft spot among the Indian audiences with this value. Eg. Vicks ads. 9. Prestiege There is nothing more important to an Indian household than the family’s honour and prestiege. Indians bank a lot on social approval and the sense of prestiege they gain from it. That sense of prestiege even comes from indulging in luxury and living a high life. A lot of luxury related products target this aspect of the Indian audience and cater to their value of prestiege. Eg. Reid and Taylor Amitabh Bacchan ad. 10. Ownership
Ever since the olden days, a personal home has been of epitome importance to the average Indian household. It is a matter of protection and pride to own a home. In this tight spaced urban world, it has become even more difficult to own a home. But nevertheless, Indians continue to strive for ownership of a home for both themselves and their loved ones. It ione of the most important consumer values. A lot of options are considered and a lot of research is conducted before a home purchase. A bevy of home loans have also eased the process of a purchase of a home. Marketers also target this aspect while advertising their product.
They arouse temptation to own a home which coincides with the consumer’s desire of the same. Eg. Asian paints Bird ad 11. Adaptability In spite of being from a conservative background, Indians have changed their behaviour with the changing times. People have adapted to the different languages in the country and different lifestyles with ease. This reflects the dynamic nature of the Indian population along with their ability to adapt to the changing times and the environment. This value is considered to be a sign of progress. Many advertisers wish to promote this value through their ads and encourage this aspect among the Indian public.
The ads based on adaptability have proved instrumental in shaping the minds of the Indian audience as a whole. Eg. Aircel ad. Idea cellular Language ad 12. Religion This is by far the most important consumer value among Indians. Religion plays a very important role in India. There are people of numerous faiths and religions residing in this country. It is one the sure shot ways to get attention from the Indian audience through advertisements. But is also important to not offend the sentiments of the Indian audience as they are very sensitive when it comes to their religion.
One has to be very careful while welding advertisements with religion. the Indian public adheres to their traditions and customs and is very dedicated towards maintaining their culture. Festivals are considered to be the best time for promotion of products in a religious theme. Eg. Tanishq ads (wedding) Aisanpaints pngal ad 13. Pleasure Pleasure relates to being happy and cheerful towards oneself and their surroundings. Everyone likes to indulge in pleasure after strenuous work. Indians especially like to please themselves with various pleasurable activities and believe in balancing work with play.
The idea of pleasure, according to most Indians, is to spend time with their loved ones and engage in leisurely activities. While targeting this value of the Indian consumer, the advertiser has to keep in mind the mentality of the consumer and the nature of the product and blend both of them. It could be themed around pleasure with intensity or pleasure with lightheartedness. Eg. Scooty pep+ ads Cadbury’s life ka swaad ads 14. Work Since the urbanization of Indian society, there has been an evermore increase in the job opportunities especially for the youth. The youth of the country have become very ambitious and aim high.
The education levels have gone up and the literacy rate has also shot up. Having a high paying job has become very important to the average Indian consumer as his salary corresponds with his buying prowess. Advertisers should start aiming at this progressive value of the Indian audience and design their ads to suit this aspect as well as promote their products. Encouraging progress in terms of education and work has become a very important aspect in current Indian society and especially among the youth. Eg. The Sikkim Manipal University distance education ads. Bibliography