Gandhi as a Brand: How Intermedia Advertisements Subvert His Transversal Values

Examined the process of media reinterpretation of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy in 20th-21st century Indian advertising. Drawing on 37 case studies, it demonstrates how the philosopher’s transversal values (ahimsa, swaraj) are supplanted by commercial narratives, reducing his ideas to utilitarian slogans. As a result, Gandhi’s iconography in popular culture transforms the philosopher into a brand serving consumer society, while advertising practices dilute his political philosophy, emphasizing superficial symbols (clothing, glasses) within the framework of heteronomous preferences. In the contemporary digital world, Gandhi’s transversal values are under threat. This process reflects a global trend of commodifying historical figures, where depth is replaced by questionable utility. The methodological framework combines visual analysis of advertising imagery and discourse analysis of its interplay with Gandhi’s original texts, worldview, and his archetype as a moral sage and mentor. The study contributes to the debate on the conflict between cultural memory and the logic of media markets.