But what I've been increasingly feeling is the creeping in of a portrayal of what is the best way to be.
What kind of food is best for oneself; or what should be children’s entertainment; or what development is tough but important.
Not too long back, I was left aghast when the promotion of a manufacturer showed adventurous, determined people telling us about the fact that they will overcome all odds to make development in India happen. Building a dam in the highly fragile Himalayas was high risk, but the woman protagonist with a clear belief that it’s necessary, vehemently made it a possibility.
Did it occur to the producers what ecological havoc high altitude dams can be; and whether they would fragment habitats in such a way that it would neither be beneficial to people living around and nor the wildlife of the area.
More recently, it was, “where’s the pulp?” At morning breakfast or at picnics, the pulp of the oranges had disappeared. Viewers are to play this guessing game, till it is revealed on television a week or two later. Any guesses? Well mine is that it has landed up in a tetra-packed juice box!
Let’s link this to another one which makes a mango based drink so much better that both children and adults don’t want to part with it for fresh and juicy mangoes. And this is acceptable? Since when did the contents and nutrition of fresh fruit match that of packed food or juice? Or are we trying to say that in today’s lifestyle it is the way to be? Well at least it is for our ad makers. What followed next was a bunch of children out do some rafting. They see a sign board telling them “No water, No boating.” They are unhappy, but a juicy chewing gum takes them into a make believe world where it’s like they are having good fun channeling their rafts!
So, are we to believe a chewing gum is a substitute for boating, and children should be happy with that? Or since water is going to be depleting so much in the coming days, that signs such as in the advertisement are a reality. To me what is the more critical question is what we are communicating to children.
Another advertisement is of an air conditioner (AC), where an entire family is so content with the cool atmosphere of their homes that they are happy not stepping out. It does not matter that they run their air conditioners all day, adding their bit to global warming and  climate change; leave alone the high levels of electricity consumption that an AC needs. Of course, let the real outside world, go take a walk.
My ranting above has hopefully communicated my anguish. While selling a product let’s try not to barter out a mindset to go with it. In a desire to increase consumption and profits, the fundamentals of life and humanity should not be forgotten.
Advertising professionals and product manufacturers can surely “afford” to be responsible; and not blind themselves to the fundamental issues facing our country today. The pace of growth and development is already throwing up challenges, and often beyond repair or resolution. Let's not add to it by working further on people’s psyche!
Wonder if someone's listening?