Creative critique from a gender lens: 9-13 January

Dr AL Sharada, director, Population First, reviews a selection of ads from last week

Jan 20, 2023 08:39:00 AM | Article | Campaign India Team Share -

What worked:

CarDekho

The ad wins browny points on three counts:

1. It shows an elderly woman driving a car.

2. It tells us that it was her dream to have a car of her own.

3. It shows a daughter gifting her one, using CarDekho.

In a country where life almost stagnates after 60, it is nice to see that it need not be so and that women could dream and achieve a lot even in their second innings of life. Also, in a country where girls are undervalued, the projection of a sensitive and caring daughter who is economically empowered gives a strong message of what girls can do if we invest in them.

Gender Sensitivity Score (GSS): 4/5

Ashok Leyland

The Ashok Leyland ad makes us look at a transport vehicle in a completely new perspective, as the carrier of the hopes and dreams of the people. Personally, it was a revelation for me how the narration links the truck to various people's dreams and lives.

Another aspect which is worth highlighting is the casual way in which girls are integrated into them without making it look like a forced fit, be it the beaming school girls or the child in the lap of her mother.

GSS: 3.5/5

Reliance Digital

The ad addresses an important issue, ageism and the digital demographic divide. Often, unintentionally, senior citizens, particularly women are sidelined under the assumption that they are not capable of using electronic and digital gadgets.

The ad brings out the feeling of helplessness of an elderly woman and the product reassures her that technology is child's play and that what one needs to do is just keep exploring and playing with it. The son calling out loudly, 'mom I love you' at the end of the ad brings a smile and hopefully will make more elderly women overcome their fear of digital technology.

GSS: 4/5

Other films from the week:

Muthoot Finance