88 FIIB Business Review 10(2)

Advertising in India: The Initial
Years (1930–1970)
This phase of the Indian advertising is considered from the
year 1930 to the year 1970. From the 1930s to 1947, India
was under the influence of British rule and hence same
influence is visible in advertising of that period. The same
influence continued for some years even after India became
an independent country in 1947. Advertising in pre- and
post-independence India was heavily influenced by the
British and in fact acted as an outpost of British Empire.
The advertisements during this period were direct and
factual, which lacked creativity and newness (Nair, 2013).
It was a time of economic turmoil, shortage and deprivation
for young India; a time when companies did not market
their products, they rationed them (Sengupta, 1990). The
government also focussed on heavy industries rather than
consumer goods. India continued with the policy of
isolationism, economic protectionism and avoided global
trade (Cutler, Erranilli, & Javalgi, 1992) which reduced the
desires of Indian consumers to basic sustenance alone and
hence advertising was direct and bland.
The market was dominated by imported British
brands, and advertisements focussed only on Sahibs and
Memsahibs, the upper class of that era. Lipton’s, Lux,
Pond’s, Hawkins, Wills Navy Cut and Bata were among
the prominently advertised brands which targeted the
Indian elite class only. Advertising during this phase was
limited to pictures paired with slogans printed in the
newspaper. Print and Out of Home (OOH) were the only
options available to advertisers until the potential of
moving pictures was discovered. With the advent of cinema
as a medium, it became the playing ground for many
advertisers and the creative community (Sridhar, 2017).
Table 1 presents a summary of pre- and post-
independence years of advertising in India. While a year-
wise discussion on print campaigns of select brands is
included in Table 1, respective advertisements are
illustrated in the Appendix.

The Indian Advertising Journey

Advertising in India: The Changing Indian Advertising:

The Initial years Advertising Landscape Today and Tomorrow

Figure 1. Seven Decades Journey of Indian Advertising

Source: The author.

Table 1. Advertising in India: The Initial Years

Brand Campaign Advertisement Key Observations and

S.No. Name Name Media Year Agency Illustration Comments
1. Lipton’s Tea World Print 1931 New India • A pre-independence era
Famous Tea Publicity advertisement
for Quality • Direct product representation,
claiming superior quality
• Visuals depicting the elite class
• Limited textual content
2. Pond’s She is Lovely, Print 1947 Thompson • F actual representation and direct
Creams She Uses Advertising selling of product
Pond’s • Depiction of multiple products
• Cluttered Ad copy
3. LUX Toilet Kanan Devi’s Print 1947 JWT • D irect product depiction and
Soap Beauty Secret direct selling proposition
• Large visuals, extraneous text, and
poor readability
• Celebrity presence and
endorsement
(Table 1 continued)