Understanding India: Cultural Influences on Indian Television Commercials

The volume on Indian television commercials’ production deals with how key production decisions shape a television commercial’s visual language. It then explores the link between the visual language and the socio-cultural identity of India. An ethnographic study that tries to capture the nuances of the cinematic/visual aspects of marketing communications strategy, it discusses many television commercials that have an embedded vision of India, viewing them in the context of a new consumer culture emerging with economic liberalisation of the country. Containing interviews with directors, editors, producers, animators and others involved in production of commercials, it examines the political influence of mediated imagery on television commercials, the role of visual perception as an important component of advertising, and the way the commercials connect consumerism with the nation-state. It takes up commercials on cricket and those that represent women as well.