Published Paper Details:

India is a land of diverse cultures, traditions and languages. Among the developing countries in the world, India is one of the rapidly growing nations on account of industrialization and technological advancements. The expansion of Indian trade relations on a global scale has led to a significant transformation in the marketing policies and consumer culture. The increasing materialistic concerns among the people, however, tend to pose a detrimental threat to sustainable development of the country. To prevent development at the cost of environment, many advertising agencies adopt diverse techniques to perpetuate sustainability. One of the crucial methods by which this can be implemented is through proper mode of communication. This paper focuses on a close examination of the story-telling approach in Indian commercials that serves a dual purpose. While on the one hand, it subtly challenges and subverts the stereotypes prevalent in the Indian culture, on the other hand, it conveys to the viewers the idea of adopting means that shall promote sustainability. As a starting point, this study shall highlight the importance of narratives in the advertisements of goods and products in the Indian context. In a country where the population is overwhelming, where majority of the people lack education and awareness, and where pollution levels are intimidating, mere didactic mass propaganda on sustainable use of resources cannot be effective. On the contrary, stories have potential to evoke emotional responses and elicit the desired effect upon the audience. By narrativizing the advertisements, the companies appeal to the inner sentiments of the people thereby not only alluring them to buy the product but also moralizing on the principles of sustainability. Thereafter, the essay shall emphasize on the power of music and song in adding life and colour to these narratives. Finally, it will underline the role of children and how their involvement in the ads not only makes the adult viewers rethink the socially sanctioned and accepted norms but also encourages the future generation to align themselves along the path of sustainability, thereby, providing an additional impetus to achieve the goals of sustainable development. This essay shall analyse these strands through various case studies of Indian advertisements.