What are advertisements? Advertisements are a public form of promoting a product or a service. They have become exceedingly important as an indicator of social and economic progress. While advertisements began as a way to publicize a brand, they are now sending across a much more valuable message. We may get annoyed or frustrated when they pop up in the video we are watching; however, some advertisements manage to grab our attention and leave us stunned in some way or the other. Advertisements are now supporting social change: from defying gender roles like the ‘Hawa Badlegi’ campaign by Havells which released a series of advertisements promoting women empowerment, equality and respect, to explaining climate change like the Hindustan Unilever advertisement about a shower stall in the middle of the desert, showing us the value of water for those who long for it. These clips are now much more than just a means to propagate brands but talk about breaking stereotypes like the Dove advertisement called ‘Let us break the rules of beauty’, which talks about accepting diversity. They also support political change and encourage people to be engaged in following certain duties like the ‘Jaago Re’ commercial by Tata Tea which asks the public to wake up and actively vote. Advertisements have begun to show us a new perspective and question those aspects of society that are not spoken about. Social change comes with a change of mindset and advertisements are effective in making people aware of social issues thereby, initiating positive social change. Advertisements do not showcase to their large audiences only clothes, cars or electronics but meaningfully convey ideas and concepts, thereby acting as a vehicle for societal transformation.
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