Creative critique from a gender lens: 18-22 December

Many advertisements often portray families through an idealised lens — depicting them as happy, cohesive, and harmonious to trigger emotional responses and promote products. 

This projection aims to create relatability and aspiration, tapping into consumers' desires for familial bliss. By showcasing scenes of shared joy, support, and celebration, advertisers associate their products with positive emotions and familial values.

This approach typically focuses on traditional family structures, such as nuclear or traditional intergenerational families with paternal grandparents but tends to overlook diverse household forms, including single-parent or extended families, as well as families of trans individuals. This narrow representation limits the portrayal of equally happy and harmonious alternatives.

To address this issue, creators should start by acknowledging and embracing the diversity within their target audience, particularly in middle-income urban households. This entails considering various ethnic, cultural, and social variations to present a more inclusive and representative image of families.

Runwal

Runwal Group's advertisement underscores the importance of familial togetherness and the transformative power of a home. It breaks away from stereotypical portrayals by featuring both parents working. However, the narrative remains anchored in a traditional family structure, with the father as the central character responsible for providing a home that fosters togetherness, as desired by his son. While this challenges some stereotypes, there is room to move away from the gendered power equations in the family.

Gender Sensitivity Score (GSS): 2.75/5

Sony Sports Network

The Sony Sports ad, promoting football through Kartik Aaryan, highlights his passion and popularity. However, it falls short in gender sensitivity by not including women and girls in ambassador roles or as fans. To better reflect the diverse fan base of the sport, the portrayal should extend beyond a singular gender perspective.

GSS: 2.75/5

HDFC Mutual Fund 

The HDFC Mutual Fund campaign centres on the significance of financial advisors in mutual investments, employing a heartwarming narrative. However, it leans towards a stereotypical portrayal of gender roles, with a young girl attempting to drape her mother's saree, reinforcing traditional norms. While not inherently problematic, a more diverse and non-stereotypical representation could contribute to building alternate, empowering narratives.

GSS: 2.75/5 

Maggi

GSS: 3/5 

Iodex

GSS: 3/5

MakeMyTrip

GSS: 3/5