Experts Speak: The evolution of women’s portrayal in Indian Ads

Advertisement, whether through word-of-mouth, television, OOH, or otherwise, serves a primary purpose—to create awareness. Since the inception of advertising, gender stereotypes have taken centre stage, diluting how the industry perceives women. 

In the golden era of advertising and entertainment, mimicking the patriarchal society, women worldwide were portrayed as mere side characters who ‘helped’ the male leads with mundane tasks like selling motorcycles and insurance. 

As times moved ahead, society started giving more value to women's opinions and they became an important demographic for brands and advertisers, the late 70s-early 80s saw women selling everything ‘domestic’ from kitchen utensils, food products, and detergents to baby products. 

Although these ads had women as the main characters, the roles were still boiled down to stereotypical portrayals of the gender. Categories like detergent, edible oil, cookware, and others were selling the idea of a ‘perfect homemaker.’ The women in these ads were either busy hunting down the healthiest oil to cook food for their families or selling the most effective detergent to the audience. 

Change in narrative

Joy Mohanty, Chief Creative Officer, North, Dentsu Creative India said, “Till the early 2000s, detergent ads in India reinforced stereotypical gender roles. Ads showed women doing the laundry. Men were rarely seen involved in laundry, underlining the division of household chores.

The message was clear - laundry is a woman's responsibility.” 

But today, more than 30 years after Surf Excel's first Lalitaji ad, many brands have changed the way they portray women and their ‘duties’. Mohanty thinks the turning point came with Ariel’s 2015 campaign, ‘Share the Load.’ 

This campaign asked a pertinent question, “Is laundry only a woman’s job?” The series of ads aimed to address some age-old unequal expectations in Indian households and aimed to create a household where men and women share responsibilities equally.

Mukta Maheshwari - Chief Marketing Officer; VP & Category Head – Fabric Care, P&G India recalled the idea behind this campaign and said, “We realise that consciously or unconsciously, everyone is influenced by what they see and hear. Stereotypical imagery and inaccurate portrayal of gender roles can reinforce our unconscious bias and substantially slow down the pace of change.”

Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India thinks that this change in narrative has impacted the way audiences' perceptions. He said, "At the heart of this evolution is a recognition of advertising's potent ability to influence societal norms and foster meaningful change, which, if done right, can truly have a lasting impact."

Just like P&G’s Ariel, many more brands and categories apart from fabric care have broken down the stereotypical portrayal of women in ads and tried to change their narratives. 

Take, for example, Nirma. The homegrown brand gained household popularity with its catchy jingle ‘Sabki pasand Nirma’ which debuted in 1975 and has stayed relevant through decades. 

In the past, the brand roped in famous Bollywood celebs, particularly female leads to stay relevant with the audience. The brand started with roping Sangeeta Bijlani and moved on to casting many Bollywood stars. As more times changed, more brands started communicating beyond stereotypical gender roles, and Nirma too, was one to follow. 

More recently, the brand shifted its communication to a wider audience by roping in Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan. The idea behind casting these men was to help remove the stigma that washing and cleaning were chores men shouldn’t take up.

Similarly, Surf Excel has undergone a massive communication change in the past few decades. The brand's iconic character 'Lalitaji' was 'The Housemaker' of the 80s who knew all the right reasons to buy the brand's product. The tagline back then 'Surf ki khareedari mein hai samajhdaari' aimed at educating about the perks of buying their products. 

Pivoting from this storyline, the brand changed its themes multiple times through the years. In the early 2000s, the 'Daag Acche Hain' campaign rolled out which saw two kids as the main role, and completely eliminated the mother's character. 

More recently, the brand has incorporated men in the communication as well, depicting that washing clothes isn't just a woman's or mother's job. 

Yash Modi, Creative Director, VML said, "I think India has seen a genuine progression in the way detergent brands have showcased gender roles and stories in the past couple of decades. From the thought leadership of Surf’s Daag Acche Hain to the moving narratives of Ariel’s Share The Load. Mass brands like Ghadi and Rin, too, have upped the portrayal of gender balance at home.

I was happy to see a detergent TVC without the woman of the house, just showing a young footballer girl and her father at home. True evolution in sync with society and culture."

Amer Jaleel, Founder of Curativity said, “The fabulous thing about advertising is this: Once someone breaks the mould and does something fresh all the other brands in the category follow suit and essentially try to become that same brand. This predictably has happened in the detergent category too. Take some gender, add a bit of tender and that’s a nice cocktail of moralising, through women, through men, some through children! What we don’t realise is whether you portray a woman or not, ultimately you are using her. You are playing her. Arrey even with SRK you’re playing her. No?!!

If the category has to move ahead we should maybe stop this practice? Genuinely. Think you are speaking to Gen Z, maybe? Why not! It can be done, I’m telling you. I recall a brave marketer who did this way back, some 15 years ago with chai. I’d say for anyone who cares to take the chance on detergents, a huge bucket and soap awaits, to wash off the category ka dhabba."

Another category that has taken strides to move beyond gender norms is the cookware category. Traditionally, like many industries that dealt with household essentials, the cookware category often portrayed women being busy in the kitchen while their husbands lounged around in the living area or were busy ‘working’. 

Prestige’s infamous tagline -- 'Jo biwi se kare pyaar, woh Prestige se kaise kare inkaar’? was penned in the 1970s and was still late 2010s. In these ads, the wife was always present in the background, while the husband was ‘carefully’ advised to buy a Prestige cooker if he loves her wife – boiling the communication down to – a wife’s job is cooking. 

In the past, when ads showed wives worrying about unexpected guests and their kitchenware coming to the rescue, the role of a wife was narrowed down to the kitchen. Moving away from this stereotype, Vinod Cookware’s recent ads showcased a husband cooking for his wife and a son-in-law explaining the many reasons why the brand’s products were the best fit for his cooking. 

Sooraj Pillai, Group Creative Director, DDB Mudra said, "Once confined to the domain of homemakers, the art of cooking has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. It has transcended its domestic confines, evolving into an essential life skill."

Sunil Agarwal, Director of Vinod Cookware said, “Traditionally, Cookware and kitchen appliance ads in India have often featured women as the primary users of these products, reinforcing the stereotype that cooking and household chores are solely the responsibility of women. However, by focusing on the performance and utility of its products rather than traditional gender roles, Vinod Cookware aligns itself with a more inclusive narrative in the kitchenware industry.”

In the realm of edible/cooking oils, there has been a notable trend of focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles and mitigating heart-related diseases through the selection of the correct cooking oils. Traditionally, this responsibility has often fallen on women, who have been tasked with choosing the right oil for cooking.

However, as societal norms evolve, the communication strategies within this sector have also shifted to reflect these changes.

Fortune Soyabean Oil's ad talked about prejudices people have about women and cooking. The ad showcased how a father can also be the only one who cooks food, and its not always a mother's duty to fulfill. The tagline of the ad read -- 'Khana chahe koi bhi banaye, ghar ka khana, ghar ka khana hota hai". 

Another example of breaking stereotypes in ads was Dhara's 2018 campaign - 'Zara sa Badlav'. The ad showcased men in the kitchen and tried to break gender norms. The tagline for the campaign read -- 'Humesha se rakhti hain sabka dhyaan, zara ye bhi deserve karti hai aaram'. 

Talking about how the communication for the brand will evolve, Manish Bandlish, Managing Director, Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd. said, "Moving forward, as we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of gender roles, Dhara remains committed to supporting inclusivity and diversity in our messaging. We will continue to ensure that our campaigns reflect the changing dynamics of modern families.”

The way forward 

According to a report by ASCI on gender stereotypes in ads, 74% of female consumers believe that the way they are portrayed in ads is completely out of touch with who they truly are. 

But, recently, more categories and industries that were previously entirely male-dominated have started incorporating women to drive conversations and broaden their consumer base.  Categories like BFSI, automobile and other male-dominated industries are slowly incorporating women in their advertising as the main characters. 

Last year, Deepika Padukone was announced as the global brand ambassador for Hyundai India. For the past 25 years, SRK has been the face of the brand, and with this association, the automobile company has made a shift in its endorsement pattern. 

Talking about this shift in communication, in a previous conversation with Social Samosa, Ashish Bhasin said, “Earlier, the automobile industry was perceived as a male-dominated and male-decision-making category. That is no longer the case; women today are playing an increasingly important role in both their and their family’s purchase decisions. I feel, that as more women start earning more and the automobile industry starts targeting them, more female brand ambassadors will get recognition not just for their face values but their understating of the automobile sector.”

Experts believe that moving forward other categories that have historically portrayed women in stereotypes can bring massive change as well. 

Joy Mohanty thinks that although the portrayal of women in ads has moved beyond gender roles, there's still work needed. He said, “While the needle did move, and more career women were seen in detergent ads, many still portray women as the primary laundry doers.

As gender roles in India continue to evolve, detergent ads can play a role in promoting a more balanced view of housework. More ads featuring men and shared responsibility are needed to normalise a more equitable portrayal of housework.”

Josy Paul has similar opinions on this matter. He believes that although in the past three decades, the communication for detergent and fabric care brands has changed, brands need to beyond this.

He said, “We can’t just use the ‘social cause’ as a quick mantra to draw attention. Doing so would mean we are not being true to ourselves or the people. We must bring our efforts to some closure if we are serious about the purpose.”

Lastly, Varsha Desai, Executive Creative Director, Mullen Lintas Mumbai gave pointers for brands to keep in mind to better their communication: 

1. Is it a truth that's well-told?
2. Would I watch it myself or I'll hit the skip button when no one's looking? 
3. Is this narrative truly effective for a brand do I just want to travel to Prague 

The evolution of women's representation in Indian advertising signifies a progressive shift towards inclusivity and gender equality. While significant strides have been made in challenging stereotypes and promoting balanced portrayals, there's still room for improvement. Brands need to continue pushing boundaries, moving beyond tokenism, and ensuring that their messaging aligns with authentic narratives.