Advertisements and the Country

"You can tell the ideas of a nation by its advertisements."

Explain what you think this quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Develop your position with reasons and/or specific examples drawn from history, current events, or your own experience, observations, or reading.

Is it possible to tell how far a frog jumps by just looking at it? May be not that accurately, but you could always make an educated guess. When looking to invest in stocks, investors often check some fundamental ratios to ascertain the "worthiness" of the stock. Is it always right? Perhaps not. Is it useful? Definitely. In the same way. one can tell the ideas of a nation to some extent just by its advertisements.

This is possible because advertisements are deeply influenced by the culture of the country and the attitude of its people. In fact, to be successful an advertisement needs to be culturally very sensitive and be aligned to the ideas of the nation. 

A good example I can think of is advertisements in Dubai. Advertisements there focus on the products and barely employ any human models. It clearly shows the sensitivity to and the influence of religion; Islam prohibits idolatry. I was told by my local friends that this principally discourages use of any models in advertisements. The rich dresses and the theme of advertisements give an overall impression of a conservative, prosperous and value-based society.

Another example I can think of is the famous advertisement campaign run by Cadburys in UK, the most famous being the one in which two children make their eyebrows dance. To the casual observer from a different culture there may not seem much correlation between the eye-brow dance and the chocolate. Nevertheless, to me it indicates a population that will not react to direct sales pitches but responds to clever correlations. I feel that to some extent it indicates a fun-loving, even a a bit eccentric, British interior beneath the formal and polite exterior. 

Similarly, advertisements in India, compared to those in UK or Dubai, revolve a lot around positive correlation between brands and celebrities coupled with value for money deals. This speaks a volume about how seriously the country takes its film stars and cricketers. It also indicates an audience that can be both emotional and practical. 

Concluding, the experience of living in three different countries has convinced me that even a small things like advertisements can tell about the ideas of a nation. This primarily happens as to be successful advertisements have to be constructed in that way. Metaphors, sense of humor and acceptable motifs change with borders. Advertisements capture these changes pretty effectively.