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Our Bureau

Mumbai , Nov. 10

UNION Tourism Minister, Ms Renuka Choudhury, has urged the Indian advertising industry to voluntarily spend some time on highlighting social issues such as welfare of the girl child, safe drinking water or HIV. "I recommend each of the agencies to adopt one social responsibility as a theme to show us that you are there with us. You have the reach and ability to do so."

Ms Choudhury was addressing the inaugural session of the golden jubilee symposium (The Future of Advertising) of the Advertising Agencies Association of India. She said several issues such as women being more vulnerable to HIV than men, have never been addressed. "Most campaigns only target men," she said.

The Minister also said that the industry had over the years commoditised women by getting them to stand in front of truck tyres or equating them with the pleasures of a pressure cooker, and urged it to appreciate the role women play in society.

The inaugural session of AAAI began on a futuristic note, with Mr Colvyn Harris, CEO, JWT, saying time is the new currency in today's world and the challenge is to compete within shorter times frames. He wondered whether consumers today actually had the time to adsorb a 30-second commercial.

Mr Harris also observed that technology is the major driver of industry today and media such as MMS or SMS generate far more news value. "An investment in technology can pay off big-time for the industry," he said.

On the other hand, Mr Arun Adhikari, Managing Director (Home and Personal Care), Hindustan Lever Ltd, observed a shift from the pyramid income structure of Indian consumers to a bulge in the mid-segment.

"There is a new middle-class centre of gravity, and as these consumers' incomes grow there is an aspiration to look good and feel good. The advertising industry has a role here to make our categories more exciting and aspirational for our consumers."

He said that the advertising industry in the coming years has to deal with two sets of consumers — aspirers and strivers. While the former comprises people who have had a tryst with affluence, those who have travelled abroad for the first time and aspire to use various upmarket lifestyle products, the latter comprises consumers who have had a tryst with branding. "These are people from the lower-income group, mostly living in rural areas, who are enjoying the benefits of a toothpaste or a shampoo for the first time. The role of the advertising industry here is to make brands alive for those who are using them for the first time."

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