Mobile phone Ads targeting youth in India
I recently came across these mobile phone ads targeting Indian youth:
1. MotoYuva A810: Sabko Banaa Dalo! – This ad shows that one young man is making a cartoon of teacher on his mobile phone.
MotoYuva W230 – This ad shows the father scolding the young boy for creating a mess in the house. The boy puts the earphones and listens to songs on his mobile shutting out his father.
I am not sure how popular these ads were in India but I think the kind of cultural values they are promoting are questionable. Let me know what you think of these ads.
13 comments
Interesting to see these ads as Moto really appears to be a niche brand in India and not relevant to the majority. So my question is who are they really trying to target? I found the “stylus” example interesting (am sure it is a china centric model) but find it hard to see it being a hit. I’m not sure of the price point of either phone although I’d think they are toward the low end. So the ads leave me a little baffled.
It would be useful to compare these with Nokia or the Sony Walkman ads. My perception is that in the last two years Sony has done really well comparatively. However that’s at the upper end of the market.
So… my primary question is who’s it targeted to and likely to reach? I’d be interested to see ads targeted into rural areas. Although the best advertising may just be winning on hoardings.
Hi Stuart, Thank you for your insightful comments and questions. You are right that these ads must be compared with ads of other models and they might actually be targeting a very small segment of the youth population. My purpose in putting these ads here, which I probably did not clearly specify in my post is that these ads are positioning “mobile phones as technologies that promise escape” to youth from realities. I think the underlying message here is that you can easily shut out authorities or make fun of them through your mobile phones. Therefore, I think these ads are questionable for promoting unethical values and associating cell phones with it.
I agree. India has to be weary of these and other commercials from outside companies that don’t understand our culture and only care about profit. Such ads can impact and influence the youth in undesirable ways for society.
I am not sure about the teacher ad but if I would have seen that ignoring-dad ad some 10 yrs ago, I would have fumed as to what these mnc creeps are doing to our country and culture. But today, I dont think much of those values remain or can remain, given the onslaught we are facing (though calling it onslaught gives a radical meaning to the thing, but am referring in a lighter sense). Today we have mtv splitsville openly showing things that are a bit weird for a family audience, we have a jerk named raghu coming on roadies and foul mouthing each and everyone standing there (i applause his confidence, but then, apne show me to koi doggy bhi sher hota hai…so whats so special he has done to deserve dat me-is-king attitude). Anyways, to stay with the topic, all these things are easily and steadily causing the value system to move towards what we call unethical and nasty. Everything is relative, and to show progress and change we are getting carefree, compared to what we were earlier, so probably these ads and everything sometimes reflect whats prevailing (the teacher ad) and sometimes whats gonna come (the dad ad). Whatever the case, if someone asks me, I will definitely go and put that ignore-dad ad to rest, as it negatively affects the only positive thing India got, the family system (which, if you see in the west we are aping, is completely rotten).
Hi Tejas and Saurabh, Thank you for your comments. It’s good to know what people are actually thinking about these ads. Priyanka
Hi,
I wouldnt say these ads are disrupting the culture. However, they are making use of the youth being alienated and making this phenomenon lot visible.
What is actually happening is with the booming technology, youth has become too involved (or lost, for that matter) in the virtual world. So much so that, he doesnt live relationships the way we used to live them at some point of time.
Things like joint families, dinners together, watching family shows have all become things of past. Along with youth everyone else has also become so busy in today’s world. Speed, technology has left us all in a situation where we dont have time to stop and talk, observe or understand.
These ads do not influence youth, they depict what is happening in the society today. Its just that these guys used these insights to represent in ads and connect to this youth segment.
There are a lot more people today, who care for no one but self and the result of this is ignoring others, disrespecting others.
To conclude, I wouldnt blame the MNC of ruining the culture. I believe they are just showcasing that part of India that most of us dont want to accept… The transformed part of us…
Hi Radhika, You may be right in what you say. But I don’t think that’s entirely true. In my conversations with young people I have found quite the opposite. I have learnt that they want to connect with their parents and respect social institutions. Yes, there may be some who behave in the manner these ads are depicting, but by promoting such values in the ads, these ads legitimize and reinforce such behaviors as norms.
I am joining this debate a bit late but I have a few observations to make.
I think that apart from thinking about cultural values, a brand/product has a job to differentiate and catch peoples attention.
The positioning of a Good music phone with clarity or a fantastic phone with sleek looks has all been taken by the thousands of models launched before between Nokia, Sony, earlier Motorola etc. etc. . So where does a new handset product position itself in absence of a real differentiator.
They chose to catch the youth audience’s attention by telling them that they can shut out the world’s problems around them by listening to music on thier motorola phone.
Does that mean that the youth will start disrespecting elders ? I think these ads will change behaviour as much as watching WWF has made every kid a wrestler
Lets allow Motorola (who has since almost shut shop in India) a bit of creative space to advertise.
PS: I work in the Mobile Industry and I have visited & observed the youth across. They are evolving yes, but they havent yet lost respect for thier elders (In general). We can heave a sigh of relief
[...] is lot of debate happening on my blog post on Motorola advert. So I have decided to now write my answer in a post. The ad in question is for Motoyuva w230 and [...]
@maneet thank you for your comments. The response to your comment is in my new post. http://priyankasblog.com/culturally-appropriate-motoyuva-ad/
I am currently doing a bit of secondary research on Youth Trends and their socio-cultural response and belief adjustments in relation to how Cellular Phone companies, virtual service providers have influenced and to a greater degree also suggested paradigm shifts in basic sub-continental value system.
I enjoyed reading your blogs.
thanks
I am a university student studying PR and it just goes to show the importance of target market and how PR is becoming more and more common in today’s youth. Firms such as Motorola are among the leaders in their industry and they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing. PR is one of the fastest going trends and it ties in perfectly with new technology. Phones are now becoming smarter and PR has never been easier. The youth of today is the future for companies like Motorola. Blogging, PR and social media is the new trend and youths have really taken a liking to it. The value promoted here is about being cool and being liked in the school environment. The culture we live in, no one is liked for being good. Doing bad things and being naughty is the new “cool”. So what PR has allowed is that one can show an image on the net and be a completely different person behind the screen. For example through Facebook and blogging you cab choose how to be represented. So you can put up pictures of partying and blogs about what “cool” things you have done. But you can go home and study for 4 hours and get 95+ in your exam and no one knows about that from your “followers”
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