IntroductionAdvertising is a cost-effective way of disseminating messages with the aim of creating a brand preference or educating people (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Most marketers use mass media for their marketing communications. The choice of media depends on the nature of the message and the intended target audience (Etzel et al, 2008). Television is generally recognized as the most powerful advertising medium. The broad reach results in a low cost per exposure (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Over a longer period of time, the television has become a permanent fixture in all middle- and upper-class families, and is not uncommon even in poorer urban societies and rural families (Shah & D'Souza, 2008) .India is a developing country and the majority of the population lives in rural areas (Census, 2001). Rural consumers are fundamentally different from their urban counterparts socially, psychologically, physiologically and literally (Selvaraj, 2007). Therefore, the purchasing behavior of rural consumers has become a hot topic of discussion because rural India, in recent days, is enthusiastically consuming everything from shampoo to motorcycles (Nagaraja, 2004). cause for concern (Moschis & Churchill, 1979). Therefore, this paper is an attempt to study the influence of television advertising on the purchasing behavior of adult consumers from different residential contexts, i.e., rural and urban, and gender groups, i.e., males and females in the residential context. state of Haryana. Literature Review Advertising is a billion dollar industry in India today, and with a growth rate of 40-50% per annum, one of the fastest growing industries in the country (Unnikrishnan & Bajpai, 1996). The Nati......middle of paper......third advertisement. Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, Vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 55-70. • Saxena, R. (2005). Marketing management. 2nd edition. New Delhi: Tata McGraw. • Selvaraj, A. (2007). Rural Consumer Behavior Regarding Non-Durable Goods: A Study in Erode District of Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, no. 12, pp. 35-42.• Shah, K. and D'Souza, A. (2008). Advertising Promotion, An IMC Perspection New Delhi. Tata Mc Graw Hill Companies.• Sehrawet, M., & Kundu, S.C. (2007). Buying Behavior of Rural and Urban Consumers in India: The Impact of Packaging, International Journal of Consumer Studies, pp. 630-638.• Unnikrishnan, N. and Bajpai, S. (1996). The impact of television advertising on children. Retrieved April 25, 2007 from GJUS&T University Hisar website: http://www.wacc.org.uk/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=309.