THE TASTE OF ‘LOCAL’ TARGET AUDIENCE TO THE KITSCH TV COMMERCIALS IN INDONESIA

• Main Author: Hanif (NIM: 37014004), Wildan
• Format: Dissertations
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/31603
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Human civilization necessitates the birth of elite culture and popular mass culture. <br /> <br /> Products or work of elite culture that is considered high culture often requires <br /> <br /> intellect and high sensitivity to respond. Works like this are usually in demand by a <br /> <br /> handful of people who are considered to understand and understand its meaning. <br /> <br /> Conversely, there are many products or works that belong to popular mass culture <br /> <br /> with an enormous number of enthusiasts. This popular culture product is called low <br /> <br /> culture and is often termed by some of the world's art and design elite as 'kitsch' <br /> <br /> which means 'low taste'. Kitsch's main goal is to attract the attention of the masses <br /> <br /> as soon as possible by utilizing high art objects, everyday objects, modern myths, <br /> <br /> traditional myths or popular myths to raise their economic value. <br /> <br /> TV commercials are a part of kitsch product variants that are reproduced with <br /> <br /> audio visual imaging machines. Techniques and styles revealed TV commercials, <br /> <br /> especially those using provocative elements, oddities / peculiarities of objects, <br /> <br /> repetitions, and scenes against logic, always exist and appear every year on the <br /> <br /> screen in Indonesia. The target audience of these advertisements is primarily a <br /> <br /> lower economic society, with a distinctly and distinctive taste. The target audience <br /> <br /> selected as participants in this study is the community of janitorial staff in one of <br /> <br /> the art colleges in Bandung, with the habitus of lower-class economic capital, <br /> <br /> socio-cultural capital with Sundanese culture, and intellectual capital of the <br /> <br /> average formal education of junior high school. The participants of this study were <br /> <br /> further termed the 'local' target audience in order to facilitate the mention. <br /> <br /> The issues that will be answered in this research are: how is the implementation of <br /> 'kitsch' in TV commercials ?, how to relate the TV advertisement kitsch with the <br /> <br /> ‘local’ target audience?, and how the taste characteristics of the ‘local’ target <br /> <br /> audience? <br /> <br /> The research method used in this research is a mixed method that is <br /> <br /> interdisciplinary, namely: Content Analysis Method of TV commercials and <br /> <br /> Ethnography Study Method, within the scope of cultural studies. The existence of <br /> <br /> appropriate theory is an absolute requirement in content analysis method. The <br /> <br /> kitsch elements and workings are used to determine the 4 selected ad objects based <br /> <br /> on the strong kitsch element assumption in all 4 of them. The habitus concept <br /> <br /> approach from Pierre Bourdieu was used to select Research participants. <br /> <br /> Ethnographic methods are done by observation and in-depth interviews of the <br /> <br /> target audience after they respond to TV commercials that have a very strong kitsch <br /> <br /> tendency, and reveal the most preferred elements in TV commercials, showing their <br /> <br /> tastes. <br /> <br /> The results of content analysis showed that the four selected TV commercials <br /> <br /> proved to have a very strong kitsch tendency (more than 60%),, but had differences <br /> <br /> in the types of elements and types of workings of each kitsch. <br /> <br /> The ethnographic results of local target audiences show that their tastes are <br /> <br /> strongly influenced by the Sundanese culture habitus which is a very important <br /> <br /> internal factor. The appetite was nurtured since childhood by values lived by the <br /> <br /> Sundanese people, created through a long-lasting socialization process, which <br /> <br /> settles into a way of thinking and behaving. Internal factors in the form of habitus <br /> <br /> will form a person's taste, and will make a distinction or uniqueness that is typical <br /> <br /> of the target audience, which will distinguish as well as equate it with the tastes of <br /> <br /> friends. <br /> <br /> This research also proves that the elements and workings of kitsch in TV <br /> <br /> commercials are responded well by the 'local' target audience. They love the <br /> <br /> elements and workings of kitsch displayed by the ads with various Sundanese <br /> <br /> phrases that have positive connotations such as sae (good), kreatip (creative), <br /> <br /> bodor (funny), resep (happy), enakeun (enjoyable). <br /> <br /> ‘Local’ target audience tastes also have general characteristics and special traits <br /> <br /> based on their preference for various elements in kitsch advertising. Common <br /> <br /> characteristics that become their common tastes, especially in a crowded and lively <br /> <br /> atmosphere, as well as on the sensuality of female beauty artist in these ads. The <br /> <br /> special or specific features are in three ways: the element in the advertisement is <br /> <br /> an object or scene that contains humor, elements of odd and magical objects, and <br /> <br /> elements of traditional or local elements raised in the ad. The five characters of the <br /> <br /> target audience are: sensuality, festivity, funny, miraculous, and locality . <br /> <br /> The five characters of these tastes are not purely confined or separated from one <br /> <br /> another. There is a kind of slice or mix between the five. Preferred sensuality of <br /> <br /> participants are sensualities that are also festive, funny, magical, and also local. <br /> <br /> Likewise, the participants' favorite joy is a festivity containing sensual, funny, <br /> <br /> magical, and local. And so on. This mixed and complementary character of tastes <br /> <br /> is very likely to occur within a 'local' target audience that has their distinctive <br /> <br /> habitus. The tastes of the target audiences are relatively influenced by Sundanesebased <br /> <br /> performance art found in the work environment and in their neighborhoods. <br />