South Asia in mass media - Essay Example

Tide Ad and Its Indian Sentiment Introduction From its humble beginnings, India has now risen in the global arena. Today, India is known as an information technology hub, the top player in global business process outsourcing, the source of migrant doctors and lawyers, and as an exotic tourist destination. Amidst all these technological and economic developments, India is still stuck with its tradition and culture. It should be noted that the life of the Indians hugely revolved around their religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

This paper will look at the general perception of people on India as portrayed in the Tide advertisement.Tide and India Tide is a detergent manufactured by an American company. The product takes pride of its reputation as one of the leading brands due to its capability of removing tough stains. With this, Tide is a premium product taking care of the cleanliness and purity of clothes. Looking at the current state of India, the advertisement of tide capturing the sunset view of Ganges River and Taj Mahal seem inappropriate.

For one, India is now highly regarded because of its technological and economic momentum. Thus, an ad showing new infrastructure, new roads, or technology associated products would seem suitable. However, as this new identity spurred by recent progress is not yet instilled in the mind of consumers. Thus, advertisers chose to utilize the image of the traditional India and its connection with the laundry detergent. The Ganges River and the Taj Mahal are two important places in the Indian culture.

It should also be noted these significant places became major attractions to tourists worldwide. Looking closer, the Ganges River and Taj Mahal is directly associated with purity to Indians according to their religious beliefs. In Hinduism, purity is considered imperative is a fundamental component of the Hindi culture. Though physical purity is emphasized, the real essence of purity extends to social, ceremonial, emotional, psychic and spiritual cleanliness. Adherents of Hinduism are required to be spotless, blameless, and free from any contamination.

The Ganges River is sacred and is worshipped by Hindus. The river is a significant symbol of purity as "bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the remission of sin and facilitates the attainment of salvation" (Ganges River 2006). Taj Mahal on the other hand is the symbol of pure love of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The structure is famous because of its elegance, grandeur, symmetry, and beauty. However, it should also be noted that the Taj Mahal is built with white marble, a color which is directly associated with purity.

Conclusion Tide should be appreciated for its creative advertisement. Utilizing the popular places in India such as Ganges River and Taj Mahal, Tide was able to portray what it does-making laundry clean and stainless. It should also be noted that the advertisement clearly portray the traditional India which is different from what it is now. It just shows that India, amidst its rapid development is still known for its tradition, for its devotion to its religious beliefs and its beautiful tourist spots.

ReferencesGanges River. Retrieved 26 July 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganges_River#The_Ganga_in_HinduismTaj Mahal. Retrieved 26 July 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal