It began many years ago with late Bobby Sista (Shambhu Venkatrao Sista, founder, Sista Advertising) and Dr Sharada AL (gender champion, former programme director, Laadli) meeting me and talking about the rather skewed portrayal of women in advertising.

At a managing committee meeting of the IAA India Chapter, I proposed a day-long session where top creative leaders could meet with relevant activists in a spirit of collaboration and understand each other’s point of view. It was shot down immediately:

Later that day, when I explained my point of view to my friend Pradeep Guha (former MD, 9X Media), he agreed to throw his weight behind the idea. Srinivasan Swamy, executive group chairperson, RK Swamy Group, former president, IAA India Chapter, was very supportive, and the event was held with Megha Tata, former president, IAA India Chapter, and currently co-chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, IAA India Chapter, taking an active part in it. The session turned out to be a turning point for our industry.

Cut to a few years ago when Megha and Nina Elavia Jaipuria, chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, started what is now known as the IAA Voice of Change, where the IAA partnered with UNICEF and commissioned the Geena Davis Institute in the USA to analyse the 1000 ad films which were sent to them.

The baseline study revealed what the activists were saying all along. Women were not being represented properly, and the bias extended from gender to colour as well.

With these findings, Nina and Megha have been holding annual events and have taken the findings to content creators in large agencies as well.

Their consistent hard work is showing results, as was revealed in the results of the midline study recently.

The needle had moved positively. Women were being shown in a better light on all parameters.

Yet, more needs to be done.

Megha and Nina take a bow for your dogged efforts. Kudos to Gitanjali Master, partnership specialist, public and private sector engagement, resource mobilisation section, UNICEF Delhi, and UNICEF for their support.

As they say, let’s break the bias together.