Differences In Advertising

When examining the differences in global advertising I thought it would be best to begin with the obvious. This would be the portrayal of American men and women to Indian men and women in advertising campaigns. I also wanted to look into their commonalities.

Both in the United States and in India women are generally portrayed in advertisements as homemakers, dependent on men, and sex objects while men are portrayed as dominant, authoritative figures.

Although the portrayals of women and men in Indian magazine ads have changed over time, they are still portrayed in stereotypical ways. Role portrayals in Indian magazine ads seem to be influenced by the nature of the product being advertised. In this paper the similarities and differences between role portrayals in Indian magazine ads will be discussed.

The past shows that both men and women are portrayed in stereotypical ways in magazine advertisements in most parts of the world. Men and women appear in different roles, in different settings, and for different types of products.

Although strong similarities in gender-role portrayals in ads have been shown across cultures especially in India, this is also the case for the United States although in different ways. The cultural values of India are significantly different from those of the United States. Thus, it is likely that portrayals of men and women in Indian ads may differ from that found in western countries.

Indian men seem to be classified mostly as career-driven and self-seekers while Indian women are seen in some cases as housewives. Magazines are the primary vehicles for advertising in India followed then by television, radio or newspaper. Role portrayals in advertising differ by product.

In the United States women in magazine ads are portrayed as being dependent on and needing the protection of men, not making important decisions, homemakers and sex objects. Gender identity for men is often associated with competition rather than emotions. Because of this men are depicted in the media as professionals and not as nurtures. Men are also shown as independent, and are pictured outdoors or in business settings more often than at home.

In India women and men are portrayed more in a traditional sense, rather than that of stereotypical ways as in American advertising. As said earlier the portrayals of women and men are influenced by the nature of the product being advertised.

Product type seems to affect gender-role portrayals in two ways. First, the frequency with which men and women appear in ads seems to vary depending on the nature of the product being advertised. In general, women are found more often in ads for home products, baby items, cosmetics, and food items whereas men are seen more often in ads for "masculine" products such as automobiles, alcohol, insurance, financial services, and business products. Women have also been found to appear more frequently in ads for nondurable products than for durable products.

Secondly, there is some evidence that the type of product being advertised also affects the nature of gender-role portrayals. For example, women are more likely to be portrayed stereotypically in ads for publishing, recreation, clothes, and cosmetics but less likely to be portrayed stereotypically in ads for tobacco, travel, food, and financial services.

Usually, products such as automobiles, liquor, financial investments, and insurance are husband-dominant decisions whereas food, appliances, cosmetics, and jewelry are wife-dominant decisions. Joint decisions are most likely to occur in the case of houses, vacations, and furniture.

In the United States changes have occurred in the way males and females are portrayed in advertisements. Women are beginning to be portrayed in less stereotypical ways in ads and appear more often in nontraditional roles.

These trends in advertisements are sure to follow in India. Several of the trends found in western nations like increases in the number of workingwomen and their educational levels are beginning to occur in India. Exposure to the western world is increasing. The portrayals of women in Indian television ads are even changing slowly but surely.

As time goes on in India male and female role portrayals will "soften" or become less stereotypical over the years. This will be reflected in the types of roles males and females are portrayed in and the type of products they appear for. Soon, women and men in Indian magazine ads will be portrayed less often in traditional, stereotypical roles. They will also appear more often in ads for nontraditional and unisex products.

A lot of my physical evidence of global differences will be present from the advertisements I bring home from India. Below are two very different approaches to the Coca-Cola product.

American Coca-Cola

http://www.coca-cola.com/template1/index.jsp?locale=en_US