In India, the
Matrimonial Ad is an effective way to
find a perfect match. Personal Ad is the latest trend in the western world, especially in an Internet world This article provides a brief overview of the trends with specific emphasis on the india and seeing how this is reflected through advertising with a few tips along the way, so if you find this interesting, then read on…
INDIAN MATRIMONIAL ads have always reflected what is going on in society. In India these type of ads are very common, mostly initiated by elders, at least that’s how they are worded; even a 40 year old is termed a boy/girl.
It’s largely a scenario of an
arranged marriage. Surely arranged marriages have some important points in their favour. Parents take an enormous amount of trouble to assess compatibility. And they are often best equipped to calculate the complex web of factors that will contribute to long-term compatibility; they are led by the head, not the heart.
PERSONAL ads on the other hand, rarely mention the word “marriage”, though it is often the eventual intention. They talk of commitment or long term relationship before entering into a marriage. These are now the latest trend in the western world, especially in the US. The basic idea is to experiment with a relationship before entering into marriage by presenting more of personality traits, making a more interesting reading than the usual run of matrimonial ads with their emphasis on tangible factors like looks, education, money, job, and family. One reason why matrimonial ads sound so solemn; any attempt at humour would be deemed flippant.
In the india, we have a mixture of both. However, this is only reflected in very few publications
such as the M.I.L MatchMaker Magazine, or Eastern Eye Newspaper Column. One reason for the reluctance to advertise more freely in india compared to the more commonly as in India or the US is the fact that a significant proportion of the Asian population in the india still hold to their old traditional cultures and prefer to strike their own matchmaking through their own social circles and this is getting increasingly difficult for them.
As a result we see greater freedom from the 2nd and 3rd generations where their own choice is of paramount importance than that of their parents, and they are much more flexible nowadays blending with the Eastern and Western culture.
Many individuals are now starting to take an active interest and taking to “personal matrimonial ads” as the way forward in search for their partners either online or offline. A large number of advertisers are in their thirties and forties and that many of them have been divorced. Some don’t find the time in their busy schedules for a social life that could yield them a partner. Cut off from one’s community is an urban jungle, it can be a very lonely life. These professional people see personal ads as a way of starting relationships on their terms, at their pace.
Advertisers are apt to draw a flattering picture of themselves sometimes to draw attention. The point is to recreate oneself as one would like to be, or, better yet, as how one thinks other people would like you to be. In today’s culture of advertisement, where a bottle of coke can be shown as sexy, to glamorise oneself does not become difficult. To a certain extent there is an art involved in writing ads, the most effective one’s suggest a uniqueness of personality, a sense of humour, perhaps a touch of humility. But one must not try and seek of what is not possible at all to try and get ten out of ten points right.
For women “warm” attracts attention. For men, the magic words are “financially secure” and
“athletic”. The most trying element in personal/matrimonial ads is the first blind meeting - there is no manual yet to handle such a situation. Even a drink with someone whom you instantly dislike can look like hell.
“You have to kiss a few frogs to land a prince” concedes one lady who’s now happily engaged as a result of her ads in
MatchMaker. But you must persevere on to get somewhere she said.
Some women advertisers also find that a person whom they dropped after their first introduction keeps on pestering them with telephone calls and gifts.
The
matrimonial or personal ads scene in the india is not static though -it’s changing over time. The word “status” is replacing “respectable”. The prospect of a bride having to live abroad is rather welcoming than cause for parental worry. Ads from divorced one’s are on the increase with more older persons also advertising.
Some things, however, seem to be holding fast: concern for the girl’s complexion, her being slim, “homely”, and above all, beautiful.
Whilst the bulk of the
matrimony site ads soldier on with the standard format, you now come across quite a few where the personal element is in greater evidence. Words like “dynamic” and “down-to-earth” are creeping in. In M.I.L.
MatchMaker Magazine advertisers explain at some length what they are and what sort of partner is wanted. A man says -“I am amicable, understanding and sensitive by nature”, or a woman wanting someone “caring, optimistic, independent or professional, broad-minded with a zest for living”.
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