Selling Love: One Commercial at a Time

Ironically, in a country where >50% of marriages are arranged,* >99% of movies are about love. Whereas the West is accused of using sex to sell, I dare say India uses love to sell--from breakfast cereals to cars. Arguably, precisely because pre-marital love so rare and verboten in many circles, it is so often romanticized (the old--Wordsworthian--meaning of that word).

The most blatant yet effective example of selling using love in India yet is by the Platinum Guild International (PGI)--a shady sounding organization that appears to be the DeBeers of Platinum in India. Their commercials specifically exploit the Indian system of arranged marriage and ask couples in effect, "You know the day you were married, but do you remember the day you fell in love? Commemorate that day with super-expensive matching platinum rings."

Readers I ask you, what PDI asks me every time I watch a world cup match: "What is your platinum day of love?"


* Note, exact stats on arranged marriages in India are difficult to find as the practice varies widely along ethno-linguistic, regional, economic class, and caste lines.