Synopsis of the PhD Thesis

Submitted to
Techno India University
In Humanities (Social Science)

The rhetorical effectiveness of Television Advertising with the

reference of psychographics in viewers of Kolkata

Under the faculty of Humanities by Jyotirmay Deb

Under The guidance of

Dr. Anowar Hossain
&
Dr. Arnab Kumar Banerjee

In the department of Humanities

under the faculty of Social Science
The rhetorical effectiveness of Television Advertising with the
reference of psychographics in viewers of Kolkata
Jyotirmay Deb

1. Introduction:

Successful Ad films are cultural reflection of society. Liking or disliking of an

Ad film depends upon socioeconomic, anthropogenic and psychographic
conditions of that particular area. Ads are the folklore of industrial society
(Jaction Lears,1987). The folklore is traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of
a community, passed through the generation. The versatility is one of the
characteristic feature of Indian culture. Music, narrative structure, image, shot
length, sound level all are the effective components of an Ad film which can
vary topographically. It’s important to assess the impact of TV and internet
advertisements in choosing consumer durable goods (telecom companies) since
TV and internet advertisement is one of the vital factor causing product
identification by consumers. For making the product viable, it is important to
create an impact which can be done with the cumulative application of
aesthetical tools of making an Ad film as well as of a thorough market survey.
This is an eternally acclaimed fact, though Ad films for launching of a similar
product by various companies leave different impact on the consumers of
different milieu. Mapping of the effectiveness of Ad films for launching a
sustainable consumer goods in different regions is essential for realising the
impact of the same on the buyers. The mapping is essential for effective business
of a company but there is always a gap between the companies’ effort to attract
consumers and criteria of attractiveness of an Ad film at consumers’ end. To
establish this hypothesised fact, the present study is designed to understand the
impact of Ad films on sustainable consumer goods like telecom service in
Kolkata district of West Bengal.
2. Objectives:
The present research work is designed to achieve the following specific
objectives with
reference to consumer durable product like telecommunication service -
2.1. To address the gap between service providers and consumers.
2.2. To remedy the gap between Advertisers and the viewers in the
terms of aesthetical components of filmmaking in case of television
Ads.
 2.3. To find out find out the aesthetical components which trigger the
consumers to buy the product.
2.4. To redefine the strategy of understanding the psychology of the
consumers before planning the Ads thus helping the Advertisers and
Ad film makers to create impactful Ads for the target audience.

3. Literature review:

Photo play tells us the human story by overcoming the forms of the outer
world, namely space time and causality and by the adjusting the events to the
forms of the inner world, namely attention, memory, imagination and
emotion (Munsterberg, 1916). The ISKE model identifies the importance of
artists’ intention (I) to create an art work and the beholders share in terms of
the way an art work impinges on sensation (S), knowledge (K) and emotion
(E), (Shimamura, 2012). Meta-cognitive inferences do not always decrease
the extent of persuasion in response to marketing communications (Schwarz,
2004). Marketing communications require marketing tools like DAGMAR
(Defining Advertising Goals of Measured Advertising Rules) to measure the
impact of advertising campaigning (Colley, 1961). In static visual scenes,
there is arrangement in which parts of an image are of universal interest but
people do not look in these locations at the same time (Mannan et. al., 1995).
Shot duration and average shot length (ASL) an entire film is the most
common low level film statistics (Shimamura, 2012).

4. Methodology:

4.1. Selection of Ad Films:

The study is an empirical research based on survey which uses both
primary and secondary data. For this study three Ad films of each of
the three major telecom companies or service providers in India likely,
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Airtel and Vodafone have
been chosen. Ad Films of these three telecommunication companies
have been selected for the study across temporal scale. Ad films
released at the time of launching of the companies, a few years later
and latest have been selected for the present study to understand if the
Ad films are able to connect the consumers properly with their
diversified demands.
4.2. Selection of sample and sample size:
 4.2.1. Sample Size: The sample size of the research is 200
individuals from Kolkata district of West Bengal.
4.2.2. Age group: The age group of the sample size will be
bewteen 25 yrs to 45 years as individuals of this age group
usually take a decision on choosing one telecom service
provider over another.
4.2.3. Segregation of sample size: The sample size will be
segregated into two categories based on the income. Average
income of one set of people (n=100) will be 2.5 lacs and more
and highest average income of the rest of 100 people will be
1.2 lacs and below. Both males and females will be included
in the experiment.
4.3. Survey Technique:
Advertisements of these telecom companies at a temporal scale will be
arranged chronologically and a questionnaire will be prepared as well.
The Ads will be shown to the people of interest and their
opinions/answers to the pre-set questions will be noted down in the
survey datasheet. A statistical analysis of the data obtained will help
me to scale the Advertisements on the basis of popularity. Ads with
higher popularity ranking will then be analysed on the basis of the
following variables -
4.3.1 interview of Ad film makers, Film
theorists and business experts
4.3.2 low level features of film
4.3.3 shot duration
4.3.4 visual activity
4.3.5 colour
4.3.6 cues on the screen and evoked emotion in
the viewer’s mind
4.3.7 sound and its impact
4.3.8 storytelling and narrative structure
analysis of the ad
4.3.9 cognitive response among the viewers
4.3.10 Models of Atkinson and shift scenes

4.4 Questionnaire design:

 The questionnaires will be designed according the above
parameters.
4.5 Data Collection:
Primary data will be collected by showing the selected ads to the
respondents and asking questions to them after the activity.
Secondary data will be collected by intensive literature survey,
existing company data collection from web portals and taking notes
of online viewers of the selected ads.

5. Data Analysis:
5.1 Analysis of the interview by graphs, charts and
tables
5.2 Basic statistical analysis of collected data by SPSS
5.3 Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) to identify
viewers uniquely and distinctly
5.4 Cluster analysis on the basis of
5.4.1 ASD (Average Shot Duration)
5.4.2 ASA (Average Shot Activity)
5.4.3 Colour Sensitivity
5.4.4 Use of animals, babies, regional festivals –
preference
5.4.5 Reverse Psychology Response
5.4.6 Celebrity Influence
5.4.7 AD effectiveness according to market review

6. Outcome:
6.1 Effective low level features of film
6.2 Colour preference of props and models
in AD films according to the socio-economic strata
6.3 The most accepted and most rejected parts of the Ad
films of choice
6.4 Patterns of Ads mostly accepted and rejected
 6.5 storytelling and narrative structure Analysis of the Ads
6.6 Sound and its impact
Bibliography:

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The Advertising Research Foundation(ARF)

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