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Spectrum of Advertisement in Soap Opera

Panchanan Bhoi, Ph.D. - 9/4/2007

Ad expert Steward H. Britt once mentioned, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark, you know what you are doing but no-body else does”. Though means of advertising include creative and media strategies, but now it is criticised on the grounds of deception, manipulation and bad taste. It manipulates the consumers against their will. Matter of taste in advertising and possible preoccupation with exploiting sex appeal is quite common in its publicity. Taking people much exposure to the electronic channels, the advertisers are now rush to this medium of communication to talk about their products and services. It is a big earning for television through such rush of the advertisers. Even to announce product or service per 10 second, the advertiser has to pay as much as Rs.70, 000 and for sponsored programmes the companies’ offer lakhs of rupees. The second object relates to the social effects of advertising such as its influence on social values and life styles. It is believed that the pervasiveness of advertising has an impact on the value system of society.

Advertising industry in India is accused of promoting materialism by inducing people to attach too much importance to the material aspects of life. It creates the notion that acquisition of things will gratify basic and inner needs and aspirations. The advertisers while advertising often attempt to direct the attention of the reader or viewer to the product or service by using women as sex objects. Cosmetics including soap and shampoo, fabrics, cold drinks and certain other goods are advertised by voluptuous semi-nude girls. It is common to see a girl cuddling up suggestively to a man who either smokes a particular brand of cigar or is dressed in a suit of particular company.

Even products targeted to man and not exclusively mean for woman are advertised with the use of semi-nude or skimpily dressed young women. The use of woman in various advertisements neither has any relation to promote the products nor it helps conveying the required message. These sorts of sexual innuendos are often used to titillate the audience and ultimately trying to draw their attention to the products advertised. In certain advertisements, now there is a shift in the use of the female body to that of male body language. These, of course by a new breed of advertisement makers, who seems have come up with something new for the Indian audience. In most prime time commercial advertisements the women are always portrayed as maids, house wives, secretaries, mothers, nurses, etc. whereas their male counterparts are depicted in the moulds of doctors, engineers, administrators, businessmen, politicians, sportsmen and in all white collar jobs. This definitely is not a reflection of the present society, where in every field say, business, administrative jobs, politics, women do excel if not more yet in par with the males.

The conscious appeal in the television commercial is essentially materialistic. Television gives no recognition to the importance of individual’s essential responsibility for at least a part of his condition or proving his own capacity to deal with life’s problems. Here advertising brings about revolution of rising expectations of economically depressed section of our society to their disadvantage. People buy material things under the influence of advertising but they do so in pursuant of non-material goals. So, the persuasive role of advertising is presumed to have an impact on society’s value and life styles. In determining the ill-effects of advertising there still remains the issue of whether advertising creates such negative effects or whether it merely reflects the value or attitudes that are created by market forces. So, advertising is probably effective in creating an image rather than in changing society’s values.

Critics of advertising feel that the freedom of choice of consumers is restricted by the power of advertising since it can manipulate buyers into making a decision against their will or interests. Such manipulation can be brought about by playing on the subconscious motives of people while using emotional or subliminal appeals. This accusation in certain cases is true because the product itself is deemed to be objectionable. Even the ordinary advertisement especially in television is too long, loud, repetitions and involves unpleasant voices, music or people. Also, the genuine persuasive power of scientific advertising can have such effects as the tastefulness or tastelessness of advertising is an issue fraught with the hazards of personal subjectivity. Further it is assumed that advertisers have the power to manipulate their audience. Many big companies use large number of exposures for their advertisements by utilising advanced and very scientific advertising techniques just to make an effective impression on consumers. It is also realised that even the most sophisticated approaches have their own limitations.

There are various aspects of ethics, ranging from the question of validity of claims made in advertisements to the form and mode of presentation. For example, the dishwashing liquids are advertised as sweeping away the dullness of life, soap products with cool sophistication, rejuvenating capacity and sensual success. Other issues concerning the use of advertising for products such as tobacco, alcoholic beverage, etc. are brought forth. Many a time it is difficult to alienate advertising from the product. Therefore, a proper perspective for regulation of advertising by advertisers, advertising agencies, media and authorities must be developed. The broader aspect of the relevance and need for advertising, especially taking into account the value systems and consumer satisfaction, should also be given its due importance. So, it is in the interest of both consumers and advertisers to ensure that advertising follows certain norms of quality and maintains standards, which may be laid down by competent authorities.