Magazine and newspaper advertisements carry the most amount of influence for female consumers in India, according to the results from the latest research, "What Women Want" by Images. Of the 891 working women covered in the study, 62.6% said they were influenced by ads in the print media which they often viewed as more trust worthy when compared to other media. 13.1% said print ads influenced them, and only 22.2% thought they were never influenced.

Results from the extensive survey could have a far reaching impact on a market currently opening up to foreign direct investment from publishers. Point of Purchase (PoP) ads were said to be the next biggest influence, with 26.3% of India's female workforce citing them as influential and 8.1% saying they were often influenced.

Electronic media was considered to be next influential followed by outdoor advertising. Surprisingly, TV was said to have the least influence, with more than 60% of respondents saying they never took any notice of broadcast commercials.

India 's domestic clothing market is estimated to be worth Rs.493 billion, and growing at about 13% per annum. Women's wear constitute roughly 37.5% of this market - about Rs.184.9 billion - which includes Rs.82.32 billion worth market for saris, ethnic wear worth Rs.44.23 billion and women's western wear worth Rs.7.38 billion. All the women in survey worked and fell into specific income brackets.

( www.fipp.com)