Cultural Frameworks of Consumerism: A Comparative Study of Global Brand Narratives in Bollywood and Hollywood Commercial Films
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63919/ajmc.v1i2.25Keywords:
Globalization, Consumerism, Bollywood, HollywoodAbstract
This study explores how commercial media from Bollywood and Hollywood represent and promote consumerist culture. Cultural globalization has caused the film industry, especially Bollywood and Hollywood, to become significant tools in shaping and influencing consumerist values in society. Using a qualitative approach based on literature review, this research analyzes the representation of consumerism in films from both industries and how audiences respond to consumerist portrayals within their cultural contexts. The study aims to investigate how consumerist values are promoted in these industries and their impact on societal consumption behavior. Data used includes film texts, scientific articles, journals, and books related to consumerism in mass media. The findings indicate that both Bollywood and Hollywood strongly depict consumerism through portrayals of luxurious lifestyles, branded goods, and consumption aspirations embedded in film narratives. While similarities exist in their promotion of consumerism, Bollywood emphasizes traditional and familial values, whereas Hollywood tends to prioritize individualism and luxury lifestyles. This research provides deeper insight into the role of film media in shaping global consumption and contributes to understanding globalization’s influence on consumer behavior.
Downloads
References
A., -. (2024). The commercialisation and commodification of Bollywood music. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 6(2).
Akaka, M., & Alden, D. (2010). Global brand positioning and perceptions. International Journal of Advertising, 29(1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.2501/s0265048709201026
Almaiman, K., Ang, L., & Winzar, H. (2023). Beyond purchase intention in sports sponsorship: An alternative approach to measuring brand equity using best-worst scaling. European Journal of Marketing, 58(13), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm-07-2021-0481
Awwal, A. (2021). Book review: Harisur Rahman, Consuming Cultural Hegemony: Bollywood in Bangladesh. Bioscope South Asian Screen Studies, 13(1), 138-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/09749276211045787
Badad Alauddin, M., Fitri, D., & Apri Wenando, F. (2025). Tradition to technology: The transformation of Indonesian culture in the social media era. Asian Journal of Media and Culture, 1(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.63919/ajmc.v1i1.16
Baidun, A., & Fitriya, I. (2020). The influence of enjoyment of web experience and susceptibility to interpersonal influence on the hedonic consumer lifestyle. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Internet of Things, 18(9), 2293470. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.18-9-2019.2293470
Bell, R., & Buchner, A. (2018). Positive effects of disruptive advertising on consumer preferences. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 41(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2017.09.002
Bhavani, G., & -, G. (2023). Effectiveness of consumer ethnocentrism. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i03.3867
Cao, L. (2024). Analyzing the deconstruction and reinvention of Infernal Affairs and The Departed remake from a cross-cultural perspective. Scientific and Social Research, 6(11), 281-287. https://doi.org/10.26689/ssr.v6i11.8839
Chavadi, C., Menon, S., & Sirothiya, M. (2019). Modelling the effects of brand placements in movies: An investigative study of event type and placement type. Vision: The Journal of Business Perspective, 23(1), 31-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972262918821227
Chen, Y., & Zhang, J. (2013). The lifestyle-oriented marketing of fashion luxury. Advanced Materials Research, 796, 519-522. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.796.519
Choo, H., Lee, H., & Xie, J. (2022). Consumers' cultural identity under glocalization: Vietnamese consumers' global and national identities and their cross-cultural consumption. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(5), 1052-1074. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml-10-2021-0740
Ciecko, A. (2015). Reflexive global Bollywood and metacinematic gender politics in Om Shanti Om (2007), Luck By Chance (2008), and Dhobi Ghat (2010). Diogenes, 62(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0392192116666995
Cleveland, M., & Bartsch, F. (2019). Global consumer culture: Epistemology and ontology. International Marketing Review, 36(4), 556-580. https://doi.org/10.1108/imr-10-2018-0287
Dai, M., Liu, J., & Xu, Y. (2023). The impact of sports sponsorship on brand value in major sports events – the case of the Qatar World Cup. Advances in Economics Management and Political Sciences, 35(1), 104-113. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/35/20231733
Das, P. (2013). Casteless, raceless India: Constitutive discourses of national integration. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 6(3), 221-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2013.799711
Davis, T., & Paramanathan, G. (2023). Liminal (trans)formative spaces: A temporary escape from intersectionality. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 58(1), 126-145. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12532
Devanathan, S. (2023). Exploring identifiers in the luxury consumer segment – An Indian perspective. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(4), e01554. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i4.1554
Devasundaram, A. (2016). Bollywood’s soft power: Branding the nation, sustaining a meta-hegemony. New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film, 14(1), 51-70. https://doi.org/10.1386/ncin.14.1.51_1
Diamantopoulos, A., Davvetas, V., Bartsch, F., Mandler, T., Arslanagi?-Kalajdži?, M., & Eisend, M. (2019). On the interplay between consumer dispositions and perceived brand globalness: Alternative theoretical perspectives and empirical assessment. Journal of International Marketing, 27(4), 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069031x19865527
DiStefano, M., Markell, J., Doherty, C., Alexander, G., & Anderson, G. (2023). Association between drug characteristics and manufacturer spending on direct-to-consumer advertising. Jama, 329(5), 386. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.23968
Dixon, H., Scully, M., Wakefield, M., Kelly, B., Pettigrew, S., Chapman, K., … & Niederdeppe, J. (2018). The impact of unhealthy food sponsorship vs. pro-health sponsorship models on young adults’ food preferences: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Public Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6298-4
Eisend, M., & Tarrahi, F. (2022). How marketer actions influence persuasion knowledge: Meta-analytic evidence of a nonlinear relationship. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 41(2), 107-123. https://doi.org/10.1177/07439156221076166
Eji, A. (2024). Marketing strategy of sponsorship events and celebrity endorsement to increase consumer brand awareness of Kapal Api products. Airlangga Journal of Innovation Management, 5(1), 141-153. https://doi.org/10.20473/ajim.v5i1.55785
Eng, T., & Bogaert, J. (2010). Psychological and cultural insights into consumption of luxury Western brands in India. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 9(1), 55-75. https://doi.org/10.1362/147539210x497620
Fandrejewska, A., Chmielarz, W., & Zborowski, M. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of globalization and consumer behavior. Sustainability, 14(15), 9575. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159575
Forbes-Bell, S., Bardey, A., & Fagan, P. (2019). Testing the effect of consumer-model racial congruency on consumer behavior. International Journal of Market Research, 62(5), 599-614. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470785319865892
Guraj, D. (2023). The impact of globalization on consumer behavior. CRJ, (2), 6-9. https://doi.org/10.59380/crj.v1i2.2733
Haan, E. (2023). The drivers and consequences of ad blocking: A self-filtering mechanism that increases ad effectiveness. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 59(1), 59-75. https://doi.org/10.1177/10949968231180500
Hanus, G. (2018). The impact of globalization on the food behavior of consumers – Literature and research review. CBU International Conference Proceedings, 6, 170-174. https://doi.org/10.12955/cbup.v6.1151
Hudson, D. (2018). Vampires of color: A critique of multicultural whiteness. https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474423083.003.0006
Iosifidis, P. (2011). Global media and communication policy. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230346581
Jatmiko, R., & Fiandari, Y. (2023). Purchase intention as mediation: SOR model of hedonic lifestyle and word of mouth on purchase behavior. BIMANTARA, 2(02), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.22219/bimantara.v2i02.29779
Kang, H., & Park, Y. (2012). A study on contents development for a sensory console game based on Bollywood. The Journal of the Korean Institute of Information and Communication Engineering, 16(6), 1325-1329. https://doi.org/10.6109/jkiice.2012.16.6.1325
Kim, A., & Balachander, S. (2023). Coordinating traditional media advertising and online advertising in brand marketing. Production and Operations Management, 32(6), 1865-1879. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13945
Kim, Y., Kim, T., & Nam, H. (2021). Marketing investments and corporate social responsibility. Sustainability,13(9), 4849. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094849
Lasmiandari, F., Regita, R., Amalia, B., Nurfalah, F., & Andriany, D. (2024). Brand awareness: PT Nutrifood Indonesia. Journal of Social Research, 3(8). https://doi.org/10.55324/josr.v3i8.2163
Lim, H., & Park, J. (2013). The effects of national culture and cosmopolitanism on consumers’ adoption of innovation: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 25(1), 16 28. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2013.751793
Meng, Z., & Nansen, B. (2022). Chinese video creator identities – A cross-platform social media perspective. Platform: Journal of Media and Communication, 24–42. https://doi.org/10.46580/p74850
Mittal, K., & Professor, A. (2023). Influence of socioeconomic factors on consumer likes and dislikes for electronic products: An analytical perspective. PNE, 55(1). https://doi.org/10.48047/pne.2018.55.1.78
Molina, M., Saura, I., & Contrí, G. (2021). Introduction to special issue: Brand equity, satisfaction, and word of mouth. Sustainability, 13(22), 12738. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212738
Mulyono, K., Murtini, W., Hindrayani, A., Totalia, S., & Ningsih, S. (2023). The way to save the environment from green consumer behavior: The role of advertising, media, and lifestyle. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1248(1), 012020. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1248/1/012020
Nanjangud, A., & Reijnders, S. (2020). Cinematic itineraries and identities: Studying Bollywood tourism among the Hindustanis in the Netherlands. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 25(2), 659-678. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549420951577
Nanjangud, A., & Reijnders, S. (2021). ‘I felt more homely over there?…?’: Analysing tourists’ experience of Indianness at Bollywood Parks Dubai. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(15), 2443-2456. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1968804
Okditazeini, V., Permata Lani, O. P. L., Marhen, M., & Khaira, F. (2025). The culture of consumerism in advertising: An analysis of the representation of social values through mass media. Asian Journal of Media and Culture, 1(1), 22–39. https://doi.org/10.63919/ajmc.v1i1.17
Qader, K., Hamza, P., Othman, R., Anwer, S., Hamad, H., Gardi, B., … & Ibrahim, H. (2022). Analyzing different types of advertising and its influence on customer choice. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 4(6), 8-21. https://doi.org/10.22161/jhed.4.6.2
Rifa'ie, R., & Chan, S. (2024). Analysis of the influence of social status, lifestyle, and prices on purchasing decisions mediated by payment digitalization. Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 3(9), 3377-3396. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjmr.v3i9.11160
Safeer, A., Zhou, Y., Abrar, M., & Luo, F. (2022). Consumer perceptions of brand localness and globalness in emerging markets: A cross-cultural context. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.919020
Safitri, G., Prastika, N., & Handayani, N. (2024). The influence of conformity and hedonistic lifestyle on consumptive behavior. Eduvest - Journal of Universal Studies, 4(11). https://doi.org/10.59188/eduvest.v4i11.44734
Starc, A. (2023). Manufacturer spending on direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceutical products. Jama, 329(5), 371. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.24078
Torelli, C., & Stoner, J. (2019). Global consumer culture: Consequences for consumer research. International Marketing Review, 36(4), 587-592. https://doi.org/10.1108/imr-11-2018-0316
Uppal, C. (2011). Dispensing nostalgia for a price. Journal of Creative Communications, 6(1-2), 103-121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973258613499102
Voorveld, H., Araujo, T., Bernritter, S., Rietberg, E., & Vliegenthart, R. (2018). How advertising in offline media drives reach of and engagement with brands on Facebook. International Journal of Advertising, 37(5), 785-805. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2018.1454703
Yang, M., Mamun, A., Mohiuddin, M., Nawi, N., & Zainol, N. (2021). Cashless transactions: A study on intention and adoption of e-wallets. Sustainability, 13(2), 831. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020831
Zajda, J., & Geo-JaJa, M. A. (Eds.). (2010). The politics of education reforms. Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3218-8
Zarei, G., & Mirzaei, K. (2022). Impact of perceived social responsibility on consumers' green perception and green behavior: The moderating role of personality traits. Journal of Consumer Sciences, 7(2), 168-188. https://doi.org/10.29244/jcs.7.2.168-188
Zheng, N., & Reese, S. D. (2017). Emerging networks in the global news arena: Theorizing the structural role of Chinese bridge blogs. Journalism, 18(7), 835–851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884916643681
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Deddy Desmal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.










