An Analysis of Festive Advertising | Targeting Consumer Desires & Anxieties ❤️

Of Blessings, Bargains, and Burglar Alarms

The Capitalist Re-Invention of Akshaya Tritiya

#newspaperinlearning #culturalstudies

The Times of India, Chennai Edition

19th April 2026

Every year, the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya brings along with it a flood of newspaper advertisements that coax us, nudge us, prod us and even convince us to invest in wealth and prosperity. 

While browsing today’s Chennai Edition of The Times of India over my morning cuppa coffee, three ad campaigns really caught my attention! All three ads were busy trying their rhetorical best to target the festive shoppers of all hues! 

Back during our College days, in our Paper on “Journalism”, we were taught this core premise of any advertisement – 

Advertisers are master story-tellers who know fully well that their target-consumer or prospective consumer isn’t just buying a product; they are buying into a narrative! Good advertisements hence focus mainly on targeting the basic human desires and anxieties - the need for belonging, the pursuit of status, the comfort of nostalgia, or the fear of missing out! (FOMO).

Flipping through today’s Times of India was no exception! Most of the pages in today’s Edition were trying to sell their master stories or narratives by targeting the basic human desires and anxieties from an emotional standpoint! 

It is quite interesting to see how all three campaigns capitalise on the customer’s basic desires and anxieties!

The first advertisement on Indriya by Aditya Birla, seeks to commodify auspiciousness, and thereby commodifying divine blessing! 

The female model who is also an established actor - is shown “representing” a “rich” tradition!

The line, “bring home endless auspiciousness crafted in gold,” performs a fascinating linguistic mayajaal of sorts on the prospective consumer! 

It suggests that divine favour is not only purchasable, but also purchasable at a huge discount (“Up to 35% off”) 😊

In the second advertisement, 

by Sree Kumaran Thangamaligai, the Ad attacks the concept of giving huge discounts!

It in indeed very critical of the jewellery industry’s culture of giving such huge discounts! The ad argues that, such discount offers are equivalent to cheating, and meant to deceive the consumer! 

The ad asserts that no jeweller can ever sell gold for less than the rate determined by the global market. Consequently, it claims that offering a discount is simply not possible!

Hence Sree Kumaran frames discounts as a highly manipulative pricing tactic and not a genuine saving!

The advertisement mocks the constant announcement of discounts like “Aadi Discount,” “Diwali Discount,” “Pongal Discount,” etc., suggesting that stores will soon invent reasons like a “new week” or a “New Morning” just to offer a sale. 😊 

The ad subtly appeals to the consumer’s dignity, asking why they should have to “beg or bargain for a lower price”, implying that the consumer is king and NOT a beggar! 

On an aside, even while they indulge in mocking the discounts, I’m sure there would be readers who would be mocking or making fun of the English used in the advertisement, which are of the OMG Type! Beyond redemption!😉

The third and final advertisement is on Godrej Home Lockers!

The Godrej advertisement here is a striking example of “parasitic” marketing – as it relies entirely on the hype generated by ads like Indriya’s and Sree Kumaran’s, in order to make its point. 

A uniquely subversive advertisement of sorts! 

The headline screams in ALL CAPS, “NOT THE BEST DAY TO BUY GOLD,” something that is highly blasphemous and transgressive in the context of Akshaya Tritiya. 

In a sea of newspaper ads that indulge in urging their prospective consumers to “buy buy buy” now for prosperity, this ad commands the reader to stop buying gold, thereby foregrounding the bitter truth – that connects with buying wealth - the great anxiety on how to safeguard the wealth, and he importance of protecting the wealth! 

Godrej then projects itself as a cure for the anxiety!

Here we see the paradigm shift in discourse – from “blessing” to “security”

The Godrej ad’s success lies in effectively capitalising on the exact moment that stress is born! 

At the end of it all, while evaluating the three advertisements simultaneously, it’s a win-win for the capitalist! 😊

The first one - by selling the “divine blessing”, 

The second one – selling the “farce of discounts”, and

The third one – by selling the “security”, so that the divine blessing becomes an asset, not a liability! 

You may want to read our past post seven years ago, on ‘Christmas: An ‘Invention’ of the Victorian Capitalist Class, HERE on our blog.