The document discusses the dichotomy between traditional Indian shoppers in mega-malls and the highly westernized and sexualized advertisements and models used to market products. It explores questions around who shops in malls, how traditional shoppers reconcile their identity with sexualized western ideals in ads, and whether Indian companies could create more culturally relevant marketing strategies.

1. There’s something interesting about
the way things are marketed to an
Indian audience in a mega-mall.

2. Most models are western while almost all
shoppers in the mall are Indian.

3. Clothing marketed
to women is often
traditional….
…While the
clothing options
for men are
highly
westernized.

4. Women in advertisements are highly
sexualized, but the female shoppers are
very traditional.

5. This strange dichotomy presents an
interesting area of exploration.
• Who shops in malls? What is their socio-economic status?
• If we assume they are of a relatively high socio-economic class,
does that mean affluent Indians value western society over their
own?
• How do more traditional Indian shoppers reconcile their traditional,
religious identity with the hyper sexualized, western ideal
presented in advertisements?
• How do conservative women understand these sexualized images?
Do they want to buy the product being advertised?
• Is there a way to make marketing more culturally relevant or does
the western ideal “sell”?
• How does an Indian company address its Indian audience and how
might they use observations such as this to create better marketing
strategies?