Wednesday, May 30, 2007

You got my attention!


One thing you realize quickly when you are in India - there are a lot of billboards around here. And they are HUGE!!! If you are in a major city (and a not so major one), you can't help but notice the large number of billboards everywhere. And some of them are as tall as a building. Besides size, they use attractive models, catchy phrases, colors etc. to attract your attention - each one attempting to stand out in the crowd.

I was trying to figure out the popular categories and here are the results of my unscientific study. One major cluster is related to housing and furnishings. With a massive demand for housing and an explosion in the real estate market, it is hardly suprising to see billboards advertising a piece of heaven on earth (and some divine furniture to go with it). Then you have the clothing and the jewelry category advertising must-have outfits for discerning men and women. Of course, you have the usual others - automobiles, cell phones and banks. But by far the biggest category is Movies. The movie billboards are the biggest, the most colorful and unique in style and design. I guess this is a reflection on the huge popularity of the Bollywood, Tollywood and Lollywood industries in India. Larger than life images of Tough heros, Mean villians and Gorgeous heroines provide some distraction and relief during your daily commute!

1 comment:

Real said...

that is rajni kanth. the super star of tamil cinema...
i lived in florida for 2 years and in philly towards the end. i love americans