The Discord between Modern India and Old-Fashioned India - Essay Example

Media & advertising Ciochetto finishes their paper with the question of ‘two separate Indias’ forming. What is meant by this? This refers to the discord between the modern India and the old-fashioned India with the emergence of a new culture fueled by Western influences. Certain values and common practices had to be re-evaluated to cope with the needs of both sides of the spectrum. Globalization at the outset has also posted a new chapter in the development of the country which highlights the divide between identities. 2. Multinational companies in India have had to change their advertising strategies according to Indian values. Where else have you seen this occur? Changing strategies to accommodate a certain culture is a common practice in advertising. Foreign car manufacturers have to play on their strengths in order to infiltrate the Western market. Companies such as Toyota, Honda and Hyundai slowly made a name through their efficient and affordable models competing with homegrown brands such as Ford and General Motors. The McDonald’s catchphrase of ‘I’m lovin it’ has seen many translations in different countries to be consistent in each culture. 3. Do you agree with the assumption Trade follows manga? Have you ever read or watched Japanese manga and hence been attracted to Japanese brands and bought their products? Yes, to an extent there is truth that ‘trade follows manga.’ Personally I have heard of ‘Naruto’ and seen it in passing. I have also seen kids with the same character on some of their things including the head band which the main character wears. I am not quite sure if ‘Pokemon’ is a manga but as a Japanese anime it has been a constant sight in toy stores for years. But I have not bought any similar product nor had been propelled to buy Japanese brands for such reason. 4. Do you think the "hybrid" advertising is acceptable in those countries that highly value their own culture? Why? Yes, because hybrid advertising is the only way for them to reach out to that audience. It must be noted though that for most of these advertising strategies they target a specific demarcation which may already have in the first place an interest in the product. They do not have to please everybody especially overly conservative members of the population or else they run the possibility of losing the advertisement’s inherent content and message. What is acceptable is a personal conception and differs accordingly. 5. Do you think the cuteness culture of Japan is more accepted around Asian countries than Western? Please give detail explanations for you answer.  Yes, I think that most countries are more accepting of Japan’s cuteness culture. It must be understood that most of these things cater to children and teenagers although there are still adult followings. What children like they like no matter what nationality they have. This is the same reason Disney movies or television shows are popular across the globe. Things like manga, anime and others are very appealing to particular demographics regardless of their geographical location. 6. As mentioned, new media microblogs are slowly replacing the traditional mainstream media, such as TV and newspapers. What do you think the new media will bring to us? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the new media such as Weibo? The internet has become the major source of information of people around the world. The convergence of ideas has become faster than ever that what is currently ‘in’ spreads like wildfire on a global scale. Microblogs serves as a connection of people in real time. Being popular has transcended locality where anyone in the world could easily have a loyal following. China’s Weibo has a different feel and atmosphere which is obviously attributed to the censorship policies of the state. But the site has become a popular venue for all walks of life which allows for instant communication. It has even become a source of revenue through promotional tweets with profit of around 20million yuan which is equivalent to 1.92 million pounds going to ‘grassroot’ accounts (Kiss, par.8). 7. The McDonald’s franchise in India has developed a line of advertising based on conflict breaking out in a restaurant. What is the appeal of this campaign? 8. Arjun Appadurai has argued that under globalisation, ‘people, machinery, money, images and ideas now follow increasingly non-isomorphic paths’ and ‘disjunctures have become central to the politics of global culture’. 
What are some implications of this argument for product advertising? This equates to a trend of product advertising leaning towards hybrid ideas in order to accommodate the different values that play out in different cultures. What might work for one country may not work for another and there may even be times when it could be regarded as offensive. Product advertising must be breed with consumer specific formulas in mind. Test groups are rendered necessary to gain insight into the perceptions of cross-cultural advertising. This could mean a need to increase advertising funds but this will ultimately equate to more successful campaigns in the end. Sports & Exercise 1. To what degree you think Western sports is "crowding out" domestic Asian professional sports? The heightened interest in Western sports is not something very new to the Asian scene. Almost any nation subjected to colonial influences has adopted the sports they have been introduced to. This in turn has almost rendered the local sports of Asian countries obsolete and played almost obliquely. Most interest have been on sports such as taekwondo, karate and jujitsu which are distinctly Asian sports. However, this was mostly emphasized through Western interest in martial arts highlighted in kung fu movies. Slowly, native sports have seen new life in Asian countries as fostered by a necessity to preserve tradition and recognition that they are bona fide sports. 2. More and more Asian countries are hosting worldwide events in recent years. Do you think there is any effect to sports globalization? The most potent effect of sports globalization is the importation of Asian athletes in Western played sports arenas. Professional Asian athletes have now become a common sight in leagues watched worldwide. Baseball is a great example of how Asian athletes have become at par with their Western counterparts in their own game. Major League baseball now has a number of Japanese players on different team since the sport has been adopted as a sport in Japan. Yao Ming is also a good example of how sports have become globalized. Since his entry into the National Basketball Association, the Chinese hoop star has proven how it has become easier for talented Asian athletes to play on an international arena. 3. What are the reasons that local sports become global sports? It is mainly attributable to the interest that a local sport brings to a variety of audience. The challenge and the excitement of how a game is played combined with the skills that must be developed to be good at it renders a local sport to become a global sport. But most importantly it is in the advertising that makes all the difference. When a sport is watched by a wider audience with athletes that become their heroes and moves which has become larger than life, then it becomes a global sport. These global sports are played on the grassroots level from childhood and loyalty to teams and leagues are forged throughout the years. 4. Have sports approached a higher standard level compare to ancient era? Why? Definitely, records are broken on a regular basis. The Olympics show how athletes have evolved. Those who were gold medalists 50 or 100 years ago on their best shape cannot compete with the athleticism of players today. Sports has become a science and athletes have turned into super athletes with their training and level of commitment. Competitive athletes have made their chosen sport their life training for hours each and every day to be the best they could possibly be. They start at a young age and never stop to achieve their goals as a professional athlete. 5. Do you think that Asian sports influence the world deeply and widely? Why? No, I still think that it’s the other way around. Asian sports are deeply and widely influenced by Western sports. To put it more bluntly, Asian sports is actually Western sports. An Asian athlete’s dream would be to compete in a world arena and this is equivalent to a Western league. Basketball, football, baseball, tennis, cricket still remain the most popular sports in many Asian countries. NBA for example has stamped on their championship rings ‘world champions’ even though it only has teams from North America yet every basketball player would dream of playing for the NBA. 6. What are the reasons that most Asian countries have more traditional martial arts than other regions? Historically, martial arts is a way of self-defense and not a pastime as how most sports have evolved. Martial arts are a way to fend off enemies which may involve not only humans but also the wild. It may be inferred that because of the dangerous surroundings that the Asian region has, it has become inevitable for its people to maintain skills that has advanced into martial arts. The ancient people had to rely on what they have to survive. Taekwondo for example has an interesting fundamental concept, use your opponent’s strength to defeat him. 7. What is the method to develop and spread Asian sports/exercises/martial arts globally? Reviving and sparking interest reinforced by media is the best way to spread it globally. Martial arts, as previously mentioned, specially kung fu has become popular through the movies with actors who are concurrently martial artists such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Recently, a more serious inclination to martial arts is seen through Mixed Martial Arts such as UFC. Another way is the increasing popular craze of turning martial arts and sports into exercises similar to Brazil’s capoeira. Asia has many things to offer which can rival popular Western sports. It is only through the right attention that they just might become the next big thing. 8. Can you introduce three famous athletes from difference countries in Asian?  Manny Pacquiao is a famous boxer from the Philippines. Ichiro Suzuki is a famous baseball player from Japan. Yao Ming is a famous basketball player from China. 9. With the development of economy, sports contain huge economic function and value that recognised by more and more people.In developed countries,the sports industry development has more mature.Eg. in the United States,the total value of sports industry had over billions. Do you think sport industry is playing a significant role nowadays? How extent it affacts the economy? Yes, sports industry has become an important aspect of the economy. It contributes in many ways to the development of job-generating industries which produce income for many families. There are many facets of sports which becomes a source of economic growth. This includes not only ticket sales from the actual game including food sales purchased by watchers but also merchandise that plays on the well-established origin of loyalty. Sports fanatics are very generous when they encounter something that they like and this usually progresses into a kinship to a certain team or player. Merchandise catering to these requirements are quickly emptied from the shelves. 10. Why Asian do not good at track and field in Olympics? Can you give some ideas? The Asian built is not tailor-made for the brute strength and speed that most track and field events require. The quickness and hustle that the game commands is more fitting for the African athletes who dominate the event. The agile and limber nature and upbringing of the Asian athlete is more suited for other events. 11. The Westerner looks stronger than Asian, do you agree it because westerner more like sports than Asian? It is not particularly that Westerners like sports more than Asians but it is more on the type of sports that they play where the difference lies. Western sports lean more towards the physical and the team-oriented sports while Asian sports are more into individual and strategic ones. Westerners look stronger mostly because of the height and weight difference. They tend to be taller and bulkier but this does not always mean they are stronger. 12. Should traditional Asian sport in Olympics,such as tai chi,martial art, yoga? What do you think? I would have to say partly no and partly yes. Other than martial art, tai chi and yoga sound more like exercises than sports. How do you measure athleticism in these categories? At the same time, perhaps just to even out the playing field since most sports in the Olympics are of Western origin then they should be included. But this now present the problem that these traditional sports are common only to a particular country and not the entire Asia. 13. Do international sports – e.g. cricket, football, badminton, etc. -- develop specific characteristics as played in Asian countries? Yes, they will have certain idiosyncrasies which may not be a religious emulation of how they should be played as originally conceived. There may be restrictions is terms of space and equipment which would require others to play it differently and this happens not only in Asia. Perceptively, a number of these games may only be allowed to be played by men in ultra conservative countries which would not allow women to be in clothing and activity their culture deems improper. 14. What is the difference between Yang and Wu Tai Chi? Support your answer with examples. The Yang style of Tai Chi is the most popular variation. This is the one that is mainly seen performed by a person and sometimes done in groups. This is the most relaxing kind with slow movements of the hands and feet in graceful fashion. It evokes freedom through big motions of the hands in the air. The Yang variation has lyrical moves performed by its practitioners. This was started by Yang Lu Chuan who became a martial arts teacher by order of the emperor. Wu Tai Chi on the other hand generates internal pressure through the joints and contains some stances fit for fighting. Stretches are done internally with dropped elbows creating pressure to internal organs productively. Unlike the Yang style, Wu has minimal movements which focus on the flow of energy in the body (beginnerstaichi.com, n.p.). Bibliography Kiss, Jemima. "Weibo: The Chinese Twitter That Dwarfs Twitter." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Jan. 0015. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. . "Wu Tai Chi: An Insiders Guide." Beginners Tai Chi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. . "Yang Tai Chi: The Most Popular Style." Beginners Tai Chi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. . 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