April 5, 2023

Women’s Representation in Indian Ads- A Discussion Ft. Relina D’Silva, Upliance

Recently, I was talking to a friend about the cringeworthy ads for men’s deos. Everyone knows that no one becomes a girl-magnet by wearing a deo but such ads are still common. Another type of cringeworthy ads are the ones where certain products like baby products, kitchen appliances etc. are marketed towards women only. I wanted to discuss this with an expert so I found someone who has been in the marketing industry since last 14 years.

And being a feminist, I couldn’t wait till the 20th to release this interview cum discussion episode so this episode isn’t a solo even though it’s releasing on the 5th of April. We are going to talk about women’s representation in ads and how certain products are marketed only towards them.

I have Relina D’silva who is the head of marketing at Up⤴️. Up⤴️sits at the intersection of smart connected devices and everyday living. They have recently launched an innovative AI based kitchen assistant DelishUp. If you have seen the marketing of kitchen appliances, you must have noticed that it’s mostly the woman cooking and the man is there to buy the appliance and to validate her work. Such ads don’t make sense in today’s time and it’s time for a change.

Having been in marketing for so long, Relina has seen all of this closely and has tried to bring a change. In this episode, I and Relina are talking about-

-why are such archaic ads being made even today

-how does women’ representation in media affects society and vice-versa

-what we consumers can do to bring a change