An Examination of the Information and Thematic Content of Consumer Print Advertising in India

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Abstract
As India's consumer market expands, western and Indian marketers' efforts to reach the Indian consumer through advertising have increased. Critics argue though, that the nature of advertising content may negatively impact the Indian consumer instead of providing needed information about products and services. This study explores the content of consumer-oriented advertising in India to assess its information and thematic content. The findings reveal that although most consumer-oriented advertising contains some information to educate consumers, the typical ad has relatively few information cues and is likely emotional as opposed to rational. The advertising themes used in consumer advertising were both traditional, eastern themes such as tradition or foreign association and individual-oriented western themes such as hedonism, self-esteem and individualism suggesting increased globalization of markets.