Page 1 of 17
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 228
The Impact of Cosmetic Advertisements in Television:A
study among college girl students self – esteem and Beauty
*Krithika M.R
Dr. S. Nagarathinam Associate Professor and Head, Department of communication, School of
Linguistics and Communication,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai – 625 021, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: jrksnow@gmail.com
SUMMARY
The purpose of this study is to investigate
college girl student’s concepts of social
comparison and beauty as well as the
impact created by the cosmetic
advertisements in television. The role of
advertisements in television and the
exposure to media are interrelated to attract
a girl who comes across numerous
advertisements in her everyday life.
Exposure to cosmetic advertisements
affects girls self esteem and this research
proves that with the sample of 500 girl
students take from 5 colleges around
Madurai with the age limit of 18 – 21 years.
In addition there are differences in the
results respective to the age groups based
on the individual subjective preference.
Although the previous studies have
demonstrated the same with reference to
different places around the world, this study
is originally done for the first time in this
particular area. The study also discuss
about the characters played by the cosmetic
commercials and its vital role in the
society, its values and cultures through
content analysis. Statistical tool used to
prove the hypothesis included in this study
which states that the television cosmetic
advertisements creates psychological
impact to its consumers. This resulted in
social comparison and the persuasion
created by these advertisements resulted in
rising beauty conscious among college girls
of the mentioned age group. The results
obtained prove that a city like Madurai with
various cultures included is affected by the
cosmetic commercials and their characters
affecting girl students self esteem and
beauty.
Keywords: cosmetic advertising, social
comparison, self esteem, beauty
consciousness, television impact
INTRODUCTION
“Advertising is the non personal
communication of information usually paid
for and usually persuasive in nature about
products, services or ideas by identified
sponsors through the various media.”(Bovee,
1992) The word advertising comes from the
latin word “advertere” meaning to turn the
minds of towards. Advertising in said to be a
form of business communication used to
encourage, persuade, or manipulate an
audience to take some action to buy the
desired product in the market. It drives
consumer behaviour with respect to a
commercial offering.(advertising, 2014).
Advertisement is a non-personal presentation
of an idea or a product acquired great
importance in the modern India characterized
by tough competition in the market and fast
changes in technology, fashion and customers
taste. It’s a part of social, cultural and
economic environment and created in just a
way that people will want to adjust
Page 2 of 17
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 229
themselves to and acts as a perfect window to
reflect the different aspects of society and
culture. Every advertisement tries to persuade
the people, in the modern competitive market
each advertiser wants to win over his rivals
by effective advertising. In this process, there
are chances of hiding truth and facts in order
to succeed in increased sales and profit. But
the advertiser has social and moral duty or
obligation towards consumers.
ADVERTISEMENT AND SOCIETY
VALUES
Advertising is an art of persuasion, but still
people buy only those goods and services
which they need. What they purchase is the
outcome of the cultural values. The consumer
behaviour is influenced by his family status,
family life cycle, social relations, opinion
leaders, reference groups etc. The value
system is ever changing with the passage of
time. With these changes on value system, the
role of advertising keeps pace with the
changing times. Once a particular set of
values have been accepted by a society, the
advertising as a social and business process
tries to bring all those goods and services
which are made to respect the value system.
COSMETIC COMMERCIALS
The commercials always come out with a
target audience and these target consumers
are unaware of the impact these television
advertisements on an individual. Advertisers
try to manipulate people into buying a way of
life as well as products. The advertisement
industry has a tremendous impact on our
generation girls. What people see on
television, they take for truth? They tell us
what to wear because everyone is wearing it,
what to apply on your face because everyone
is applying it, how to groom up yourself
because everyone is doing it.
The advertisers know how to appeal to our
senses. They use peer pressure very heavily.
"You need to use a face wash regularly
because the particular celebrity is using it
daily to enhance her beauty and everyone else
is going to wear them. You should do make
over every day as "Everyone is doing it".
They have confused with the difference
between "need" and "want.
The whole purpose of cosmetic advertising is
to create emotion that make a desired reaction
in a potential customer, so in effect,
advertising very much can create public
opinions making some people consumer
zombies. In some cases advertising can cause
headaches. The effectiveness of television
advertisement on college girl students is still a
million dollar question. With all these
beautification products, the image of perfect
women in television is hard for us to realize
just how much of it is fake.
CELEBRITY ADVERTISING
Using a famous person's image to sell
products or services by focusing on the
person's money, popularity, or fame to
promote the products or services become a
new trend in the name of celebrity brand. If
the famous person agrees to allow his or her
image to be used, it is termed a celebrity
endorsement “because many consumers are
interested in celebrity activities, they are more
likely to notice your product when a famous
person professes to like and use it.”(Amo)The
promotion might be through formal
advertisements in the media, or it might occur
through the famous person displaying the
products by using them or wearing them.
A celebrity who appears sincere can
lend credibility to a product. Consumers are
more likely to believe the statements the
personality makes in the advertisement and
view the product and the brand positively.
Conversely, regard for the brand becomes
negative if it is obvious that the celebrity does
not share the company’s values.
A celebrity’s reputation is tied to that of the
company after appearing in the company’s
advertising. If a respected celebrity appears in
Page 3 of 17
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 03
April 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 230
advertising for an imperfect brand, the views
of the brand could improve or the celebrity’s
reputation could worsen. Also, if the
celebrity’s reputation suffers, the formerly
positive views of the brand could suffer too.
The market provides an array of competing
choices for a product. The consumer is more
likely to choose a product that is memorable.
Advertising that features celebrities can
ensure this brand recall. It helps a
manufacturer stand out and be more
noticeable.
Mass Media like TV, radio, cinema,
newspapers, magazines and newsletters and
technology such as the Internet and E-mail as
well as other media that may not be as
obvious such as children's comics and
cartoons, theatre, puppetry, dance and song.
The media is a vehicle used to inform as well
as entertain the public. The media is a carrier
of information, ideas, thoughts and opinions.
It is a powerful force in influencing people’s
perceptions on a variety of issues. The media
can be both positive as well as negative in
terms of the position and views of women as
well as a powerful mechanism for education
and socialisation.
Although the media has played an important
role in highlighting women's issues, it has
also had negative impact, in terms of
perpetrating violence against women through
pornography and images of women as a
female body that can be bought and sold.
Overall, the media treatment of women is
narrow and continually reinforces stereotyped
gender roles and assumptions that women's
functions are that of a wife, mother and
servant of men. This is especially so in
advertising.
METHODS
Similar types of studies have been conducted
to determine the impact of cosmetic
advertisements in television, this study is
among college girl students self esteem and
beauty but this study relates to the
psychological pressure created by the
cosmetic commercials among girls in
Madurai city. Primary research consists of
original data often undertaken when some
insight is gained into the issue by collecting
secondary data. Even though there are
numerous forms to collect the data the
method used here is pilot study and survey.
To reveal and find out the deficiencies in the
design of the survey questionnaire, also to
control the time, pilot study is adopted. In
this pilot study is used to cross check the
hypothesis with the earlier framed
questionnaire and to find out the answers to
the research questions. The earlier
questionnaire consists of 20 open end and 10
close end questions to study the participant’s
proper understanding over the framed
questions and the options included.
Based on the questionnaire result retrieved
from 20 respondents initial requirements for
the survey are modified. The answers
received are framed as objectives on the
newly framed questionnaire of 30 in
numbers. Pilot study conducted made the
new respondents to understand and answer
the easily which in turn resulted fully
satisfied answers.
In this survey method of research,
participant answer questions administered
through questionnaire and the responses
were mentioned clearly. In order to receive a
valid and reliable response from the survey
the questions were constructed in a proper
manner. To limit the responses from the
participants the questionnaire is designed
with closed – ended questions with objective
answers to analyse the answers statistically.
Provided 100 questionnaires per college, 5
colleges involved in this survey namely
Fathima Women’s College, Meenakshi
College, Lady Dock, Ambika college and St.
George College. All these colleges are Arts
and Science Colleges especially for
women’s. Altogether form 500 samples
from which the entire research takes over a
step ahead.
