Indian Advertisements and Family Associations
Most Indian advertising is about relationships, especially family ties. This phenomenon is uniquely Indian. This kind of advertising isn’t common elsewhere. In fact, our involvement in each other’s lives is also uniquely Indian and our advertising reflects that.
A strong belief in “family”, as a basic unit of society, was a feature of the Aryan society. The television ads use collectivist appeals to use or create moments in life driven by the need to love and belong. It is clearly centered around who we are. Several brands in the consumption category are being defined by the family culture in their communication.
An Intergenerational (IG) appeal in an advertising campaign usually presents a nostalgic image with family portraits, emphasizing the traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation or harkening back to the ‘good old days’ between father and son, or mother and daughter. The IG appeal can effectively enhance a brand’s image and induce consumer purchase.
The following ads show the intergenerational effect in Amurtangan and Sankar Cement, in which the solution to their problems has been passed down by generations.
Amurtangan:
Sankar cement
There are many such commercials that show mother-daughter, father-son, father-daughter relationships for pens, shampoo, and other products. These ads represent an Intergenerational effect as well as family associations effectively.
Celebrity Endorsements linked with Intergenerational Appeal and Family Associations
We have understood that highlighting intergenerational family relationships in ad campaigns works very well, but what happens to advertise that features celebrities and their family members?
Celebrities are associated with brands in various ways, they can be in the form of testimonials, endorsements, actors, and spokespersons. They are majorly used by marketers in promotions for their high degree of perceived credibility. Some brands have added celebrity families in a slice of life commercials to create both a collectivist appeal with family as a reference group as well as a sense of high credibility and trust using celebrities.
These ads work because we are curious about the private lives of celebrities. We want a peek into their households. And it is pleasing to note that their lives aren’t very different from ours and the undercurrents in their relationship are exposed.
Another take on using celebrity families would be because, keeping aside the traditional factor emphasized on intergenerational ads, the reason to use this could be that the products are targeted to customers belonging to a certain age group. When the main celebrity who endorses the product almost crosses that range the company has to look for someone new. So when viewed from the consumers’ perspective, having a younger celebrity will have more value and if it’s from the same family, then it adds on to the family bonding factor as well.
Here are some examples of Celebrity Intergenerational Appeal:
Hema Malini in the Kent RO water purifier ads acts as an expert celebrity endorser. Her daughters have joined her in recent times providing family association as well as intergenerational orientation, where she says all mothers can trust the brand “Aankh Moond Kar”.
Actor Anil Kapoor was chosen to promote a legacy in Montblanc, along with his daughter Sonam Kapoor. The film portrays the relationship between a father and a daughter and how the bond between them is further strengthened by the legacy that is imbibed in the pen.
Examples of Celebrity Family Associations:
Leaving aside the intergenerational effects, celebrity family bonding ads have also spiked sales. In the case of Tanishq Divyam, the heritage gold jewellery collection was to be promoted. Deepika Padukone’s parents Prakash and Ujjala Padukone were featured as Tanishq is an authentic brand and it wanted the same authenticity in its communication, which only real parents and not actors could have brought to the ad film.
Manyavar depicting Virat Kolhi and Anushka Sharma’s relationship, Kajol and Ajay Devgan in the Lifebuoy advertisements are a few other examples of the same.
Article credits: Bentta B (PGP2 student, IIM Bangalore)
Edited by: Meghana Priya (Team MaSh)
