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Cultural hybridity in Indian TV commercials: state of the art to future technology

Amarendra Kumar Dash

Research Scholar, PhD

Department of HSS

IIT, Kharagpur

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Priyadarshi Pattnaik

Associate Professor

Department of HSS

IIT, Kharagpur

Dr Damodar Suar

Professor & HOD

Department of HSS

IIT, Kharagpur

How to cite this article:

Dash, A.K., Patnaik, P., & Suar, D.(2010). Cultural Hybridity in Indian TV

Commercials: From State of the Art to Future Technology. Media Watch, Vol.1,

Issue 1, pp.1–5.

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ABSTRACT

As the transnational media and advertising tries to negotiate with the middle class

consumers in India, unique patterns of fusion in the discursive structure of the TV

commercials are afloat. There is a proliferation of media channels and abundance of

technology, and increased competition in the global Indian marketscape. The desire for

distinction and brand optimization amid the clutter of advertisings is pushing the industry

for fresh modes of connecting with the customers resulting in the formation of hybrid ad-

content. The present paper proposes that cultural and televisual hybridity in the Indian

TV commercials is inevitable and has to undergo the test of revision and adaptation. The

paper builds up the central issue of synergy between production/design/technology on the

one hand and marketability/delivery/management on the other. The paper rationalizes the

link between technology and management and positions the research objective on the

backdrop of the key problematic area. The second part deals with the concepts of design

and delivery with relation to TV commercials. The third part addresses cultural and

televisual hybridity embedded in the TV commercials. The fourth part is a close study of

three TV commercials collected from G CINEMA via TATA SKY. The fusion of

traditional elements of Indian middle class life with the modern counterparts in the

discursive structure of the ads is discussed. The implications of the hybrid audio-visual

patterns as a strategic instrument catering to the brand aspirations are highlighted.

Finally, a conceptual model of the next generation technology knocking at doorsteps and

their relation to advertising hybridity and management is proposed.

Key words: Technology, management, TV commercial, televisuality, culture,

hybridity

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Introduction

The aim of advertising is to promote a product as well as to socialize the consumer into a

pattern of consumption. At the same time, it has to socialize itself to the prevailing

customs of the target market in terms of the cultural, legal, technological, and competitive

patterns. As the post-global market jumbles up with the proliferation of media channels

and abundance of technology, Indian advertising industry is facing the heat of

competition and the raucous winds of survival. The desire for distinction and brand

optimization amid the clutter of advertisings is pushing the industry for fresh modes of

connecting with the customers resulting in the formation of hybrid ad-content.

The present paper builds up the central issue of synergy between

production/design/technology on the one hand and marketability/delivery/management

on the other and proposes that cultural and televisual hybridity in the Indian TV

commercials is inevitable and has to undergo the test of revision and adaptation. Strategic

window to the upcoming technologies like the Interactive Television (iTV) has to be kept

open with the accompanying innovations in order to reach the business goal.

Design and delivery of TV commercials: product and corporate brand image

From its very beginning, design has operated as a market-support instrument in a market-

led, capitalist economy, by making products more desirable to buy. Design means

rendering objects more desirable (Greenhalgh, 1993). Design has always been concerned

with eliciting emotional responses from prospective buyers and pleasing the users of

products.

The focus of business worldwide is shifting from a technology-driven, product-centered

view to a user-centered, use-centered, and interaction-centered view (Hekkert, Keyson,

Overbeeke, and Stappers, 2001). The advertising industry also has responded to this trend

by incorporating audience inputs into the formulation of ads. This has redirected the

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course of design from the air conditioner bound digital labs to the market research under

the sun. As a result, fresh ideas of brand positioning have evolved with time.

A brand is the attributes of a product associated with the psyche of the consumer.

Branding through advertising involves working to understand, appreciate, acknowledge,

and use intuition to unleash brand essence and values and how they could potentially

evolve not just as the visual and verbal expressions of the brand, but also as an emotional

experience for the customers and prospects.

Image is the perception the customers and potential customers have about the product.

Brand is the link (relationship) between the product and the customer’s values. For

instance, when we look to buy a product, we want to know if it will deliver its promises,

and will often select a brand because we feel we can trust it. Image and brand have

everything to do with identifying the target consumers. Brand positioning involves

identifying the values that are important to the target market, creating an image and a

brand, which relate to those values, and then promoting the brand and fulfilling the

promises.

The manager should be vigilant as to how to use the evolving technology in designing the

best ads for attracting and retaining the customers. To take advantage of new technology,

the manager must first know the customers, and know where and what they are

consuming. S/he should try to anticipate trends and be ready to engage buyers in a way

they would like to be engaged.

Right from the pre-production (designing of the storyboards) through production (green

action shoot) and post-production (compositing audio-visual elements together) to

delivering the final product, technology is vital to the design of the ads. An ideal ad-

designer tries to match the unique selling proposition (USP) of the ads to the unique

buying proposition (UBP) inherent in the people, besides gradually modifying the UBP to

the market processes. This demands a peculiar mix up of the desired values of marketing

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with the desirable values prevailing in India. Most of the TV commercials endorsing

hybrid values and audio-visuals are the ultimate results of this standard practice.

Technology and hybridity in Indian TV commercials

Modernism, capitalism, and cultural imperialism on the one hand, and post-modernism,

globalisation and cultural hybridity on the other, are the two critical paradigms within the

site of media, culture and communication. The cultural hybridity school of thought grew

in reaction to the essentialistic and centripetal view of culture, which constructs the

domination of the global on the local, of the centre on the periphery. In the context of

media and communication studies, hybridity means the process whereby new cultural

forms and identities come into being by combining different cultural elements.

Cultural and media hybridity

The theory of cultural hybridity assumes that the hybrid culture has the power to

challenge and break the dominant culture of national states and that hybrid culture is

more rich, resistant, democratic, and heterogeneous than cultures of national states

(Appadurai, 1990; Kraidy, 2005; Tomlinson, 2000). Some researchers also claim that

because of hybridization, domination within a culture may become more dispersed, less

orchestrated and less purposeful because culture can then be negotiated by local and

global power (Bhabha, 1994).

De-territorialization is the concept linked to hybridity, which places existing boundaries

into question and creates ambiguity as to where boundaries lie (Pieterse, 2004;

Straubhaar, 2005). Just as transportation technology decreases people’s recognition of

geographic boundaries, so also the increasing flow of information and media content

decreases people’s recognition of cultural boundaries.

Hybridity in the Indian TV commercials is the outcome of the fusion of traditional values

like collectivism, high power distance, emotionality and holistic interpretation of

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phenomena with the modern and Western values of individualism, low power distance,

rationality and scientific interpretation of phenomena. Similarly, the co-existence of the

traditional visuals such as setting, models, symbols, and rituals with the modern

counterparts as well as the blend of traditional auditory cues like language and music

with the modern ones also leads to hybrid configurations within the discursive structure

of the TV commercials.

Discursive structure of the TV commercial

Cultural hybridity as manifest in TV advertising is often linked to the discursive structure

of the commercials. Craig and Douglas (2006) link the paradigm of critical cultural

research to the composite elements of cultural values, visual artifacts and the linguistic

patterns of a TV ad. Wu (2008) traced the patterns of hybridity perceptible in the Chinese

automobile web-ads into the value appeals, visual appeals and the language appeals.

The analysis of Indian advertising by Cayla & Koops-Elson, (2006) and the

representation of Indian men in those ads is an outstanding effort to explore the question

of hybridity. The authors conclude that contemporary forms of hybridity in the Indian TV

commercials commensurate with the logic of globalization. They try to establish how

Bajaj, the quintessential Indian company, has moved from its rhetoric of nationalism

(swodesi and secular) to a matured hybridity comprising of respect for tradition and

individualism embodied in the neo-macho youth. They speak of a new Bajaj ad released

in 2002, with a young man in jeans cruising down a country road on a big new

motorcycle. As he passes a roadside Hindu temple, he bows his head down in reverence

to the God. The secular, patriot Indian man has been replaced by a fundamentally hybrid

character, converging an Indian core of tradition and spirituality as well as the domain of

technological modernity.

In another clip, a young hip couple drives along on a motorcycle. As they pass an older

man who smiles at them, the girl slides her hand away from the boy’s waist as a show of

respect. In commercials like these, hybridity is held up as an idealized attribute of elite,

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modern Indians, who comfortably move forward with progress without losing their sense

of “Indianness” or their feel for “tradition”. Significantly, it is this hybridity itself, not

simply the traditional national icons but their combination with modern goods and

symbols, which conveys what it means to be Indian in today’s global economy (Cayla &

Koops-Elson, 2006).

Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) is the custom that represents culture of India globally.

Banerjee (2008) notes how the Tourism Ministry of India has communicated through

the Atithi Devo Bhava ad campaign to make world aware of India’s rich cultural heritage

and the philosophy of treating a tourist like God. He also quotes how ICICI used

‘shoulder’ as a sign of dependability. In India, ‘committing one’s shoulder’ is a culture to

show one’s sharing attitude. Whether it is the bride shyly putting her head on her

husband’s shoulder, or the little baby asleep on the father’s shoulder in the train, the ad is

an effort to integrate the brand ICICI with the societal culture and individual emotions

(Banerjee, 2008).

Indian economy today is wired in middle class. Though the common mass has already

started to gain from the booming economy, the bulk of the ads on the Indian TV targets

the growing middle class. It is expected that the new hybrid culture would comprise of

elements largely borrowed from this class.

Technology and hybridity

The proliferation of TV channels and programmes in India has led to a competitive

environment resulting in a lower end bargaining for advertising revenues. Designers have

put their best to differentiate the brands through ads by high quality concepts, narratives,

and audio-visual appeals. The drive has led to the diffusion of technologies on the

advertising sector.

Technology, as such, can provide need-based products and the link to connect with

consumers. However, the ultimate delivery of the ads for public perception demands a

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thorough control over the advertising resources, because the mismatch between the

product use value, the positioned value, and the consumer value will lead to the failure of

the ad.

It is obvious that the ads must be designed with systematic articulation and appropriation

of, and orientation towards the broad Indian culture as well as the specific consumption

values held by the target consumer. It will be interesting to study the link between the

acts of appropriation and cultural hybridity in the discursive structure of the Indian TV

commercials.

A study of three TV commercials

A purposive sample of five TV commercials was collected from G Cinema via TATA

Sky service: Emami Menthoplus, Muthoot Finance, Philips Water Filter.

In the Menthoplus ad, the cold relief balm is shown as made from traditional Indian herbs

by observing the ritual called Yajna. Ravan, the mythic king of the Ramayan, orders for

the product, uses it, and is fit for playing cricket, the colonial game integrated to modern

India. The dialogues, the Vedic chants, and then the ultramodern cricket stadium filled

with thousands of spectators where Ravan with all fitness takes the guard is coupled with

the irony and passion of narration. The ad is an exciting piece of art, a memorable

appropriation of tradition to modernity leading to hybridity where a replica from the

ancient myth of a nation is invested with a glamorous sport, the most cherished obsession

with the modern Indian masses.

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Picture 1. Still clips from Imami Menthoplus commercials

Source: Z Cinema via TATA Sky Service

The persuasive stunts of the Muthoot Gold Loan ad operates at a more subtle level-

moving from a clash of values to the modification of values. The coy retort of the wife to

the husband pleading -“If you can sell the land, why not the gold?”- strikes the core of the

appeal. The ad pleads for a middle path between the Indian husband’s inhibition for

selling the gold of his wife and the urgent requirement of money. The solution is the gold

mortgage scheme offered by Muthoot Finance. The setting varies from the dining table to

the bank. Traditional appeal of family is used to promote a modern service, resulting in

hybridity.

The traditional charity of giving water to the thirsty is juxtaposed with the modern stress

on purity in the Phillips Water Filter ad. Ironically, the man, who is going to die of thirst,demands for pure water.

Picture 2. Philips Water Filter commercial

Source: Z Cinema channel via TATA Sky Service

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Discussion

Paradigms of tradition and the related values collapse along with the modern and co-

create alternate paradigms sprouting new hybrid values to which the advertiser is trying

to appeal with all its instruments. One common aspect of these ads is that all of them are

using emotion to differentiate the brand appeal. The camera angles, the movement of the

shots, the shades of colour and light, the jingles and echoes from popular speeches

commensurate with the storyline, demonstrating the emotional value the products can

have on the lives of users.

The nuanced global-Indianness central to the middle class fantasy of these days is

cultivated in these ads in peculiar permutations. The Menthoplus ad insists on the

convergence of Ayurvedic wisdom and modern day scientific processing and packaging.

The Muthoot Gold ad offers a solution- ‘mortgage’, which is between ‘sell’ or ‘not to

sell’. The Philips Water Filter ad propels a rejection of the traditional mode of

consumption in favour of modern usage of water – ‘purity’ enabled by technology.

The next generation technology and cultural and televisual hybridity

Between design and delivery, ads discussed here, pay testimony to the techno-cultural

convergence sweeping India these days. However, the state of the art of technology is

subject to change as new modes of communication are knocking the doors already. As

said earlier that the locus of business is fast moving from product-centric designs to user-

centric designs, the customer next up is going to be a co-creator of the ad-content.

The recent surge of Internet Protocol (IP) based advertising as it applies to the Internet

(or Online) market and the newer and still slowly evolving interactive television (ITV)

market in the US and other technologically advanced countries compels a reexamination

of advertising technology and business trends in India.

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The existence of IP based technologies has now made it possible to create ads that are

interactive, containing vibrant video and catchy audio. This new interactive advertising

can turn TV into a two way, interactive medium and allows accountability for advertisers

in their ability to track ad campaign success. It means that more audiences have to

participate in the formation of an advertisement or product reconfiguration. As a result,

more elements of popular culture and consumption values will influence the original

values of the transnational products or the reshaping of indigenous products leading to

further hybridization.

The types of technologies for the TV that are needed for advertisers, networks,

broadcasters, and agencies to be successful in attracting and retaining advertising revenue

as well as creating and managing the ads are flourishing. Side by side, perceptive market

research is also creating rooms for fresher response to the consumer. Marketing strategy,

technological innovation and pre-existing popular culture are coming together to decide

the type of audio-visuals to be formulated and to be positioned against the broad range of

values held by Indian consumers.

With the use of digital-video recorders and Video on Demand on the rise, TV watchers

increasingly are either fast-forwarding through or skipping entire commercials during the

TV programmes. This is threatening the advertising revenue, the core economic model

that television is founded upon. The new technology is sending ad-agency executives into

overdrive to devise new ways to persuade viewers to watch promotional messages.

The recent spate of worldwide economic recession, increasing number of TV channels

and programmes encouraging further audience segmentation and the rise of internet

advertising targeting the educated middle class are potentially worrisome indicators for

TV advertising in India. This solicits strategies on how to take advantages of the latest

technologies and research findings in order adapt to the new interactive advertising

medium. The TV ad industry can take some original ideas from the Internet and modify

the traditional TV business model to come up with a successful new business model to

thrive in the new age of interactive digital television.

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Internet advertising based on IP technology is still evolving. The addition of rich media

and the greater shift of advertising revenue to this medium mean that advertising decision

makers will have to keep up to date on the latest technologies and trends, and

information. Side by side, they have to develop requisite skills for managing the

technology available for delivering the best ad-designs in the market space. In addition,

they have to acculturate with the most obvious as well as delicate nuances and modes of

consumption in the Indian market (see figure 1).

Figure 1: Drivers of cultural and televisual hybridity in TV commercials

Drivers of Cultural

Hybridity

in

TVadvertisi

ng

MARKET FORCES

TECHNOLOGICALFORCES

POPULAR/CULTUR

AL FORCES

Product/Service promotionand strategy

Design anddeliverywith thehelp of

technologyConsumer uses

andfeedback

Conclusion

The ad designer has the control over technology, can configure and improvise design as

per need, but he has no control over audience emotion, which preexists in society.

Therefore, the ad-designer tries to have a partial control over the audience emotion

through unique configurations within the ads. The whole process is a controlled exercise

over technology to connect to the uncontrollable and the volatile marketscape. As the

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transnational marketing culture powered by technology tries to synergize with the

prevailing cultural ethos, new cultural modes of production is taking place leading to

cultural hybridity. The next generation technology on the way in the form of interactive

TV is going to shape the course of this hybridity, as a vast, multicultural society will be

taking part in the formation of ad-content as well.

Limitations and future direction

This is a conceptual paper proposing a framework for studying marketing, technological,

and cultural forces driving hybridity in the India TV commercials. Future studies may

develop empirical research based on the framework proposed here.

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