Creative critique from a gender lens: 11-15 July

What worked:

Hide & Seek

The film shows a young girl as a captain of a mixed-gender football team. This deviates from a standard portrayal of girls as doll-playing, shy people. Football as a game has been considered a bastion of men and this ad is a deviation from that norm by featuring many young girls as a part of the team as well as positioning one of them as the captain. That it is a product meant for children is bound to have an impact on young viewers.

Gender Sensitivity Score (GSS): 4/5

AMFI

Three out of four ads of this series, reinforce the gendered role expectations and stereotypes. While the father-to-be is questioned by his father-in-law for leaving his job to become MFD, a woman learning to drive is chastised by the instructor to pay attention and drive carefully thus reinforcing the widely held belief that women are weak-hearted and incapable drivers. 

However, the fourth ad shows a young woman as a risk taker and different from her group of friends who chooses to be a mutual funds developer and set up her own business. The ad shows young women as confident and ambitious and portrays a woman eager to take up a career not typically associated with women. 

GSS: 4/5

CaratLane

‘#YehHaiApnaTime' (this is our time) by the jewellery brand CaratLane highlights its work culture through a rap anthem. The film shows a woman in multiple roles at multiple levels, including in leadership positions.   

GSS: 3.75/5

What did not work:

Pepsi Black

This film recreates Cindy Crawford’s iconic ad completed with the sultry looks and sexy demeanour; the only difference being a motorcycle instead of a car. The objectifying of a woman, showing her as an obvious sex symbol and juxtaposing that with Pepsi Black is just the same and does not shy from being stereotypical and denigrating women.

GSS: 1.5/5

Could have done better:

Wardwizard

‘#BharatkaJoy’ (the joy of India) a film to highlight the electric two-wheeler brand, ‘Joy e-bike' by Wardwizard Innovations and Mobility captures the emotions of Indians across different geographies and cultures dotting India. 

While the film effectively shows diverse cultures and shows different people in different contexts driving the two-wheelers, the ad shows women driving only the scooties. It portrays women stereotypically driving vehicles either riding as passengers or driving either solo or with another woman as a passenger. It misses out on showing a woman driving with a man riding a pillion. 

GSS: 3.5/5

Other films from the week:

Olx Autos

GSS: 1.5/5

Starbucks

GSS: 3/5

Volkswagen

GSS: 2.5/5

TVS Radeon

GSS: 2.5/5

GoMechanic 

GSS: 2.5/5