Letter to the Hoot: spare our ears

BY tca| IN Opinion | 25/04/2004

Why are Indian ads on television so loud?

Dear Editor,

Why are Indian ads on TV so loud? I have to turn the volume down every time the ads come on, which is a great nuisance. I have seen British and European ads and they get the message across so very quietly. Why do Indian ads have to shout and scream to be heard? After all, it is not as if people are watching TV on the main road or in a bazaar where ambient sound is high and, therefore, in order to be heard, everyone has to speak louder.

My theory is that Indian ad makers, in spite of their self-congratulatory smugness, have really not grown out of the town-crier mould, the suno-suno-suno thing. They should, I would suggest, conduct a study of the comparative effectiveness of the loud ads and the quiet ones. I am sure they will be surprised by the results. But the audience -- I will not use the term viewers -- will not.

TCA S Raghavan
Gurgaon
25.04.04

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