Changing trends in Indian Print Advertising

Abstract

Abstract

Advertisements not only capture the nuances inherent in the lifestyle of the common people but also help in mapping their desires. Advertisements help to trace the social history of people in a given space and time. In this context, Judith Williamson (1978:19) holds that advertisements do not generate meaning by themselves but invite one to make a new meaning by means of texts and visuals. This assertion is backed by Micheal Saren et al who point out that “advertisements utilize a pre-existing referent system of meaning, because the product, prior to signification in the advertisement, has no meaning” (2007: 128). Advertisements help to trace the social history of people in a given space and time. In this perspective, India before the era of liberalization in the 1990s was much different and naturally print and radio jingles ruled the roost. With the proliferation of satellite channels, advertisers shifted to a different medium. Television advertising became a staple of Indian life. Later advertisers tapped new media channels like internet websites.