On the second day of the three-day advertising and marketing extravaganza, Goafest 2024, during a knowledge seminar, Chandni Shah, Chief Operating Officer of FCB Kinnect; Darshana Shah, Head of Marketing & Customer Experience at Aditya Birla Capital; Kailashnath Adhikari, Business Head of Sri Adhikari Brothers and Managing Director of GovernanceNow; Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe South Asia and Chairman of Leo Burnett South Asia; and Ram Madhvani, Filmmaker, Producer, and Founder of Equinox Films and Ram Madhvani Films, shared insights on the topic of ‘Gender-Sensitive Marketing: Navigating the New Consumer Landscape’.
The session was hosted by Sri Adhikari Brothers Networks – Dhamaal, with Knowledge Partner IAA in collaboration with UNICEF. Guiding the discussion was Kranti Gada, a Management Committee Member of the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association and the Founder of NeOwn.in.
The session delved into the nuanced realm of gender-sensitive marketing, exploring strategies to navigate the dynamic consumer landscape. Chandni delved into the core issues within the education system and how the portrayal of men and women contributes to the lack of women in leadership roles. “Women can nurture women,” she emphasised, highlighting subconscious biases and the fact that men are often the primary decision-makers in households. She also advocated for conscious choices to address these issues.
In answer to Kranti’s question on depiction, Ram discussed the Bechdel test, which measures the representation of women in film and other fiction. He mentions how important representation of women in fiction is also very poignant, “It’s rare to see women discussing anything other than men in many series and movies.”
Rajdeepak, in his turn, spoke about the dramatic increase in female education rates, from 8.9% in 1951 to 64% in 2011 to 92.5% in 2021! “What didn’t change in five to six decades has transformed in just one,” he remarked, suggesting that education and the creative industry could impact, accelerate, and enable women.
Kailashnath pointed out the economic impact of gender inequality, stating, “According to a published report, several low to middle-income countries have lost over a trillion dollars because women weren’t empowered.” He also noted that 37% of women globally lack internet access, adding, “Men have more facilities at their disposal than women, and that needs to change.”
