Advertising in Contemporary India's Rapidly Changing Media Environment

Abstract

The introduction of neo-liberal policies, the opening of the economy and the deregulation of the media stimulated a massive expansion in advertising in India in the early 1990s. Print advertising had been the dominant sector, but the proliferation of television channels stimulated the expansion of television advertising. By the end of the decade, the advertising industry was dominated by foreign companies, products and advertising agencies, but the strategies used had become increasingly ‘Indianised’ and customised to local audiences. The fracturing of the market through the proliferation of media choices meant advertising strategies were differentiated by product category, company ownership (foreign or local), media and target audience. Social and cultural changes have also had an impact on strategies: these include the expansion of the middle classes, challenges to the traditional extended family, changing roles of women in work and private life, and the advent of the internet and cell phones as new media with specific audiences.