India @75: Sam Balsara on ad’s role in women empowerment & nation development

As India gears up to celebrate her 75th year of Independence, we at Adgully are tracing the journey of Advertising and its contribution to the Indian society at large – whether it is bringing about a change in mindsets, or a societal pattern, or empowering different communities or ushering in new thoughts – basically, Soch badal ke rakh diya.

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Our aim is to collate 75 most impressive and significant ways in which Advertising has impacted India over the decades. For this, we are reaching out to the Advertising Honchos of India to share the most significant contributions of Advertising to the Indian society and why they consider them to be important developments. We will serialise the story on Adgully’s website in the lead-up to the Independence Day this year in this special series: India @ 75 – Through the Advertising Lens.

Speaking to Adgully, Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World, highlights the following two contributions of Advertising...

• A significant contribution of advertising to Indian society has been the positive role that advertising has played in uplifting the image of women by projecting them as smart, capable, well turned out, intelligent, multi-tasking and equally adept at home and at work. Very often the role that Advertising has played in bringing about this change is not adequately recognised.
• Another, important role of advertising has been in nation development. It is true that advertising creates wants and desires, but to a considerable extent this is required in society to inspire youngsters to educate themselves and adults to work hard and smart, so as to be able to afford better things in life and enjoy a higher standard of living. Indian Advertising having done this for several decades in the 70s, 80s and 90s has had a phenomenal impact on Indian society, which has brought about a huge change for the better in the Indian society and the pyramidical structure has now slowly changed to a diamond structure.