The

Culture Of Cleaning In India

A Semio(c Case Study

Using culture to arrive at design codes

To help brands be understood.TM

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Applying Semio1c Tools to Analyse the Culture of Cleaning

In order to appeal to the audience, a brand needs to be based on deep rooted consumer
mo1va1ons and desires. We need to grasp the cultural context of the audience in order
to understand these mo1va1ons. Hofstedes onion model of culture is one of the ore
ecient tools to understand subtle aspects of culture

Language & Symbols

Heroes & Icons

Myths

Values

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Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Exploring the Culture Of Cleaning

SENSE
O b s e r v e t h e C l e a n i n g
world

Home makers / Household

Maids
Sweepers
Municipal workers

Absorb the world built

around it

SEEK

Houses
Garbage bins
Cleaning trucks
Public signages
Supermarket cleaning shelf
codes

Interact with
Consumers (in this
case housewives,
cleaning ladies,
male cleaning
workers)

Municipal officers
and employees

Discuss with experts

who have done work
in this field (Samit
M e h r o t r a , V P,
Futurebrands)

STUDY

Popular Culture

Anna Movement / Social cleaning

Advertising (all cleaning brands across
detergents, utensils, personal care)
Mythological aspects of cleaning

Explore the surroundings

of the target market

Level of cleanliness
Clean vs not so clean areas
Peoples behavior to existing
level of cleanliness in a place

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Cleaning Values

Mythological/Historical:
D i r t y = S i n ; P u r i c a 1 o n i s a p a r t o f a l l r e l i g i o u s / r i t u a l i s 1 c r i t e s
T h o s e w h o c o m m i t s i n s a r e u s u a l l y s e e n a s b e i n g d i r t y e v e n i n t h e p h y s i c a l s e n s e . F o r e g .
Rakshasa consuming madira, looking ugly, living in jungles

Dirty = Imperfec1on
God = Perfec1on


To clean something is to bring it to its original state of perfec3on
(Food spilt on a table is not germ ridden but s3ll seen to be making the table unclean.
Dirt is that which exists in a system without context and therefore causes imperfec3on)

So,
Cleanliness = Perfec(on = Godliness

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Aspects of Cleaning

Cleaning as Purica(on

Cleaning aects Social Image

Physical purica(on: To be clean is to be germ free/ stain free/ diseases free

Spiritual / Mental purica(on: Cleanliness is next to godliness / a clean spirit
Social purica(on: Clean conscience

Eect on friends / peer group / rela1ves

Looking good / bright / shiny implies looking clean

Cleaning is Monotony/Boredom

Cleaning is a con1nuous repe11ve process

Involves the need of pu^ng eort over and over again
Repe11ve -> Monotonous -> Boring

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Repe11ve nature of a task, without any associated learning, can take you to a point of
absurdity. Cleaning in itself might have a higher order meaning, but the act of cleaning"
per say is just a repe11on of an act to the point of meaninglessness. The home maker /
house wife faces this state of drudgery, boredom and monotony every day. And therefore
could there be a need to make this inevitable act of cleaning more exci1ng and
meaningful for her?

The Drudgery Of Cleaning

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Cleaning Values c o n t d . .

Clean is a state that is pure / posi1ve / pris1ne and allows you to ourish

Dirt is usually seen as an enemy a nega1ve force, that needs to be fought/bafled

against. Nega1ves OUT. But cleaning could also imply posi1ves IN

Cleaning is about allowing the good/the pure/the shubh in the house. The home
maker is not necessarily a warrior but a Lakshmi.

Feeling clean is what lends assurance to being clean. Just looking clean is not enough.
Being clean means a holis1c sense of cleanliness (sounding clean, smelling clean)

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Cleaning Values (Indian Household)

Sacred Clean
Worship and Food
The most pris1ne and
personal of household
spaces
The degree of cleanliness is
very high and personal in
nature
Limited access: Worshipping
spaces strictly DIY
Kitchen/utensils:
Either the cooks domain
Or the 1st task picked by the
maid (before jhaadu-poncha)

Social Clean
The Living Rooms
Shared socializing spaces
Receives evalua1ve gaze
Receives outsiders, hence
unknown impuri1es
Demands not just
cosme1c cleaning
(dus1ng, surface stain
removal) which is the
domain of the housewife,
but also a regular depollu1ng of the space
(oor cleaning, fabric
wash) jharoo-ponchakapra by maid

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Hygiene Clean
Toilets/Bathrooms
The most impure part of
the house
Tradi1onal construc1ons:
located at the periphery of
the house
Modern oor-plans:
toilets and kitchen are
kept on dierent sides
Regular and rigorous
decontamina1on required
A task reserved for the
jamadar

Values - Key words

Purica1on
Perfec1on
Order
Mul1-sensorial/
Feeling pure
+ve in, -ve out

Germ Kill
War / Bafle
Sacred/ Social/
Hygiene

Pris1ne / white /
original state

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Cleaning Rituals

Ensconced in the religious context

Morning snan and prayer: har har gangey (prayer + snan)

Cow dung for cleaning mud houses in villages. Implies not just cleaning but purica1on
Paap Dhona, Ganga snan, hawan for shudhta

Fes1vity: Complete cleaning of the house during fes1vals like diwali ect

The Bafle: Gearing up to clean is like going to war with cleaning tools similar to
ammuni1on, the end result being the death of germ/dirt (mostly media and
adver1sing depic1on)

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Cleaning Rituals c o n t d . .

Deep rooted importance in our core social construct

T h e c a s t e s y s t e m a c c o u n t s f o r a n e n 1 r e s e t o f p e o p l e d e d i c a t e d t o c l e a n i n g . T h e
importance of cleaning in our life is at the same level as that of
K n o w l e d g e ( B r a h m i n )
P o w e r ( W a r r i o r K h s h a t r i y a )
T r a d e ( V a i s h y a )
and thus the Cleaning sect (Shudra)

One needs to get dirty in order to clean something
The one who cleans is seen as being dirty

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Rituals - Keywords

Har-har gangey
Paap
Dhona

One who
Cleans
is dirty

Purica1on
Perfec1on
Order

Cow dung Mul1-sensorial

Implies
Sacred/ Social/
purica1on
Hygiene

Germ Kill
War / Bafle

+ve in,
-ve out

Pris1ne / white /
original state

Cleaning
During Diwali /
fes1vals

Bafle/
War

Cleaning
Sect- Shudra

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Cleaning Heroes / Icons

G a n d h i j i : P e r p e t r a t e d h y g i e n e (but cleaning was not the core to his teachings)

A n n a H a z a r e : I s o n a c a m p a i g n a g a i n s t c o r r u p 1 o n t o c l e a n s o c i e t y (but is not
necessarily known as the society cleaner)

Lalitha ji: Icon for bargaining and eec1ve home maker ship and therefore also
e e c 1 v e i n h e r d e c i s i o n s o n w h a t t o b u y (not really a cleaning lady)

Can cleaning really have a hero?

The one who cleans is never looked up to. Never held in any sort of awe. Dhobi / maid/
Jamadar / (lower strata of society)
What gra1ca1on does the housewife get for ensuring a clean house?
Possibly, housewife is a hero simply because she does the cleaning without ge^ng any
gra1ca1on / reward Unsung Hero

Need for experts

Mr Clean / Mr. Muscle / Lab Technicians

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Heroes - Keywords

One who cleans is never

looked upto

Har-har gangey
Paap
Dhona

Perfec1on
Order
Cow dung Mul1-sensorial
Implies
Sacred/ Social/
purica1on
Hygiene
Housewife
the Unsung
hero

One who
Cleans
is dirty

Purica1on

Cleaning
During Diwali /
fes1vals

Germ Kill
War / Bafle

+ve in,
-ve out

Pris1ne / white /
original state

Bafle/
War

Cleaning
Sect- Shudra

Doctor /
Expert / Mr. Muscle/ Mr Clean

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Cleaning Symbols

V i s i b l y C l ea n: S p arkl e / s h i n e / cl ean
s w eep s w o o s h / l o o ki n g g o o d

S q u eaky s o u n d o f c l ea n

C o l o rf u l : T h e c a t ego ry i s f u l l o f c o l o rs

Colorfulness of cleaning tools

Colorful / bright category in branded
segment

House wi f e the warri o r: Pal l u t u c ked a n d

j h a a d u i n h a n d / a ka D u rga

T h e C l ea n l i n es s B a rri er : Y el l o w gl o ves /
cl oth : Barri er b etween th e on e wh o
cl ean s an d wh at i s b ei n g cl ean ed ? (mostl y
i n tern a1 o n al )

Hospi t al s & Cl i ni cs wi th t hei r t ypi cal col or

cod es ( green +wh i te) a n d s m el l

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Visibly clean
Sparkle, shine, looking good

Symbols - Keywords

One who cleans is never

looked upto
Colorful
Har-har gangey
Paap
Dhona

Perfec1on
Order

Warrior
housewife

Cow dung Mul1-sensorial

Implies
Sacred/ Social/
purica1on
Hygiene
Housewife
the Unsung
hero

One who
Cleans
is dirty

Purica1on

Cleaning
During Diwali /
fes1vals

Germ Kill
War / Bafle

+ve in,
-ve out

Pris1ne / white /
original state

Bafle/
War

Cleaning
Sect- Shudra

Doctor /
Expert / Mr. Muscle/ Mr Clean

Gloves / clothes / wiper

Barriers against the dirty area

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Squeaky
sound
of clean

Key Themes / Discourses

Indian Values

Global Values

Cleanliness Godliness

Clean means shiny and bright The dominant

category discourse of Shine / Glow /spark

Cleanliness is about achieving the original

natural pris1ne state

Cleaning is Mul1 sensorial

Dirt is the enemy and cleaning is a war against

the nega1ve forces

Cleaning is good for projec1ng a befer status/

social Image

Cleaning is about le^ng the Posi1ves In

Cleaning is Monotonous and Boring

Indian households have mul1ple cleaning zones

Sacred / Social / Hygiene

Cleanliness is about achieving Peace of mind

Cleaning is a dirty act housewife as the

unsung hero

Cleaning can be surprising and magical

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Semio1c Discourses For The Category

Residual Discourse

Dirt is the Enemy and cleaning is a war! (eg - Rin lightening symbolising a weapon
against dirt, or the Mr Muscle warrior)

Dominant Discourse

Clean means shiny bright and white: (The Tide white swoosh)

Emerging Discourse

Cleaning is just inconvenient (Available space?)

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

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Poten1al Brand Plasorms & Symbolisms

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Convenience Discourse: Cleaning is Monotonous, so the

brand sets you free

The proposi1on is to set you free from this drudgery

Open Circle

Freedom of ight

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Convenience Discourse: Ecient and Quick Cleaning

Eciency of Brand Quick cleaning More 1me for self

Chutki mein chamkaye

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Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Elements that can be taken forward

is the star trail that shows magical and shine

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Clean is Shiny/Bright/Sparkling (Taken ahead as a safe op1on)

The dominant category discourse of Shine / Brightness / Glow /Spark

Silber Strategic Communica1on Experts Pvt Ltd 2015

Clean is Original/Natural/Pure

Cleanliness is about achieving the original natural state

Organic natural shape

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Cleanliness is Godliness

Cleanliness is about achieving the Perfect/Pure/Pris1ne almost god like state

Halo

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