Contemporary Advertising Challenges in Regional Cinema: A Critical Analysis of Marketing Strategies and Ethical Concerns in the Kannada Film Industry

The Kannada Film Industry (KFI), a significant component of India’s regional cinema landscape, encounters distinctive advertising challenges amid rapid digital transformation and increasing ethical scrutiny. This study offers a critical analysis of the industry's evolving promotional strategies, highlighting the intersection of marketing innovation, ethical accountability, and technological disruption. Employing qualitative content analysis of secondary data spanning 2015 to 2024, the research identifies a marked transition from conventional advertising methods to hybrid digital campaigns, as evidenced by the pan-Indian successes of films such as KGF and Kantara. Despite these advancements, several impediments such as budgetary limitations, algorithmic bias on digital platforms, and widespread piracy (leading to estimated annual losses of ₹550 crore) undermine equitable reach and sustainability. Moreover, ethical concerns surrounding deceptive promotional content and cultural misrepresentation remain pressing. Audience dissatisfaction due to misleading advertisements (reported at 42% by Ormax Media) and the prevalence of gender stereotypes in marketing narratives (noted in 78% of cases) exacerbate the issue. To address these multifaceted challenges, the study proposes a set of pragmatic interventions, including transparent influencer partnerships, blockchain-enabled anti-piracy frameworks, and regulatory mechanisms to ensure algorithmic fairness in content visibility. By bridging critical gaps in regional cinema scholarship, this research advances the discourse on media convergence and offers a strategic framework for fostering sustainable, inclusive, and ethically sound advertising practices within linguistically diverse film markets. DOI : https://doi.org/10.52783/pst.2182