Five years ago I migrated to England. My first job was with a Sikh organisation as their ICT manager. I remember at my interview, the panel was quite taken with my Trinidad accent, and the clear and concise way I spoke 'Queen's English' and did not brutalise the pronounciation of words, which was surprising to me as I thought England of all place should recognise good grammar etc. I have learnt since no one mangles English as much as the English.
The other (and more apt to this post) surprising information I was introduced to was that many people in the English society were not aware of Trinidad and Tobago's status as a nation (many times I have been asked what part of Jamaica is Trinidad located!). The panel was stunned to learn that I, as an Indian, was from Trinidad and that a goodly 40% of Trinidad was Indian, as every single newspaper, every single TV report, carries pictures of people of African descent. It is a perception I myself have learnt to observe closely. Never mind that the ones usually making the news are there because they are involved in some criminal activity or in government (same thing?).
The point is, the only exposure that we get from Trinidad to the outside world is that the population is Negro (if I can use that word in this politically correct day and age) and that the occasional Indian may be a happenstance.
That the Indian population is not given more prominence can be attributed to a certain extent to the docile nature and natural shyness I suppose. But the time has come for this section of the population to assert itself, not only in advertising, but in the many fields we are involved in. It is known that Indians are among the most attractive peoples of the world, with a record number of Ms Universe, Ms World etc. Of course, the perception of beauty has been largely influenced by publicity but generally speaking, there is simply no reason that Indians cannot be used in more ads. It might even promote a larger market share of such products... but we will never know until someone takes that risk and actually tries.
The other (and more apt to this post) surprising information I was introduced to was that many people in the English society were not aware of Trinidad and Tobago's status as a nation (many times I have been asked what part of Jamaica is Trinidad located!). The panel was stunned to learn that I, as an Indian, was from Trinidad and that a goodly 40% of Trinidad was Indian, as every single newspaper, every single TV report, carries pictures of people of African descent. It is a perception I myself have learnt to observe closely. Never mind that the ones usually making the news are there because they are involved in some criminal activity or in government (same thing?).
The point is, the only exposure that we get from Trinidad to the outside world is that the population is Negro (if I can use that word in this politically correct day and age) and that the occasional Indian may be a happenstance.
That the Indian population is not given more prominence can be attributed to a certain extent to the docile nature and natural shyness I suppose. But the time has come for this section of the population to assert itself, not only in advertising, but in the many fields we are involved in. It is known that Indians are among the most attractive peoples of the world, with a record number of Ms Universe, Ms World etc. Of course, the perception of beauty has been largely influenced by publicity but generally speaking, there is simply no reason that Indians cannot be used in more ads. It might even promote a larger market share of such products... but we will never know until someone takes that risk and actually tries.
