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<ul><li>On the eve of <keyword id="168821" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pride-Month">Pride Month</keyword>, we reached out to <keyword id="997884" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harish-Iyer">Harish Iyer</keyword>, Equals Right Activist, Co-founder of The Jimmy Foundation, Balaji R, TEDx Speaker and Influencer Outreach Professional, Tonic Worldwide, Sunetro Lahiri, Associate Vice President - Creative, The Glitch and Tania Dey, Vice President, CX Strategy, Lowe Lintas to understand how to build a gender-fluid work culture and make advertising more inclusive. </li><li>They shared with us their struggles of finding an inclusive workplace and why we need more representation in our ads. </li><li>They said it starts by recognising them as a core part of the demographics -- from designing your brief to moving awareness beyond tokenism in the final output. </li></ul>It has been 10 days since Pride Month began and we have barely seen any campaigns from brands, not even from the dating apps who cater to the queer community. While we are still far away from making queer a part of our daily conversation and normalising the whole specturm, this month plays a key role in reminding the audiences that we need to start talking about it. Over the years, we have normalised using derogatory words and making fun of the queer community for their sexual preferences, lack of masculinity or femininity at workplace. The lack of representation of LGBTQIA+ in Indian advertisements also reflects how deep seated these prejudices are. Therefore, to start a conversation around it, we organised a virtual panel discussion with Harish Iyer, Equals Right Activist, Co-founder of The Jimmy Foundation, Balaji R, TEDx Speaker and Influencer Outreach Professional, Tonic Worldwide, Sunetro Lahiri, Associate Vice President - Creative, The Glitch and Tania Dey, Vice President, CX Strategy, Lowe Lintas. <div type="twitter" handle="admediainsider" handlename="Advertising and Media Insider India" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1268418343238635521/lelrmGKf_normal.jpg" favoritecount="12" retweetcount="5" status="#PrideMonth | In conversation with @hiyer, equal rights activist who moved SC on #Section377, Tania Dey (… https://t.co/KQmbVxESbU" createdat="1591702492000" id="1270318443003166721"></div> They shared how we need to change things at the grassroots level, talk to employees and build a gender-fluid environment inside to be able to reflect on the outside. In the latter part of the conversation, the panel members helped us look at the macro problems of representation, visibility of the queer community in leadership positions and how we can make the advertising world more inclusive and move beyond tokenism. Finding an inclusive workplace For people whose sex assigned at birth is female, coming out is an additional challenge because the society already treats you like a second class citizen. There are other numerous domestic issues like verbal harassment, body shaming, etc, that come into play. Iyer highlighted how some organisations put their foot down after they hire someone from the spectrum. They expect the queer person to presume the responsiblity of educating and sensitising the workplace. However, for Dey, who works with one of the oldest ad agencies in India, its sensitisation processes helped them feel home. Dey said, “Lowe Lintas has been a very mature organization as there were sensitisation processes already in place at least for things like sexual harassment at workplace, from a gender-perspective. But for sexuality, not so much. So when I joined Lintas, I told them I am coming with one simple agenda -- you are the biggest agency out there and change has to come from you. If you don’t push it, who else is going to push it? Every brief, pitch and team you work for, that is an opportunity to bring up the conversation and bring change.” For Balaji, on the other hand, the journey to finding an inclusive workplace was quite challenging, who was rejected by a few companies based on their sexuality before finding Tonic Worldwide. “A lot of companies rejected me due to my sexual orientation. They told me, 'There are a lot of decent people who work here and we won't be able to afford you’. People have openly given that feedback. So coming to Tonic was a different experience altogether. I remember, before we started with my interview, I told my boss that I am out and proud gay. He appreciated my honesty and I could come out with open colours, which wasn’t my plan because of my bad experience in the past and desperation to find a job. At the end of the day, skills matter, sexuality doesn’t,” shared Balaji. It took Lahiri a while to not want to omit out his identity from the conversations. He gradually progressed in telling people what his sexual preference was. He started his career as a journalist and also lost job opportunities for his sexuality. Sharing his experience of finding a comfortable job, Lahiri said, “When I was a journalist, I lost job opportunities because the way I presented myself, ostensibly 'coded gay', which threw them off. As a result of that, when I joined the advertising industry, I was very reticent for almost a year. When I found out that people around me had a similar vibe, it wasn’t like I had an announcement to share with them. It was just about how my truth will now not be hidden. Once that started, it just didn’t matter anymore.” Before Iyer co-founded The Jimmy Foundation, he was working with an ad agency. Recollecting his memories of when he had just started working, he said, “My CV during 2007 had a clause, 'Candidate available only for equal opportunity employers' and people didn't exactly know what that meant. I explained it to them and told them that I'll not choose to work with you if you are not an inclusive place to work with. We spend most of the time of our day at the agency and we need a safe place.” Moving beyond tokenism Taking the conversation forward, Iyer further threw some spotlight on how everything in the ad industry was looked at from a gendered lens. The demographics are usually divided according to the audience’s economic status as segments A, B, C and further segregated into two genders i.e., male and female. To which our panelists said that it is about time we start at the very basic gender and sexuality education -- move beyond tokenism to build an inclusive workplace and weave good ads. Balaji said, “When I conducted a session on sensitisation at Tonic, a few people asked me what is the full form of LGBTIQA+ and I realised that we really need to spread the basic awareness. So we did a campaign with Nazariya where we decided to make filters like ‘This is what a trans person looks like.’ That was just to educate people and start a conversation.” After joining the ad world, Lahiri realised that the process of bringing about change was not about taking an elastic band and snapping it. It’s about gradually pushing boundaries. He said, “I didn’t want ‘queer representation’ to be the ‘punchline’ of my campaigns. It needed to be a part of one of many. When you see a queer couple and cis couple going through the same journey, that to me is very important for the larger audience to see -- it proves that they are both in the same ambit. I don’t need to look at this differently. There are accounts over accounts that are talking about pride month in India but check the comments. The audiences think it is simply a rainbow, not queer. So it needs education beyond tokenism. I want to educate through the world of advertising.” Dey highlighted how the queer community needs to be included in the research stage first. “When you are designing something, queer is not even in the radar -- even if I am a part of the boardroom conversation. We forget single mothers and men who are mothers. I want to see washing powder, biscuit brands making inclusive ads, not just fashion, luxury, alcohol brands,” shared Dey. Iyer concluded the discussion by wishing that the Indian brands would remember the LGBTQIA+ community beyond pride month, even after the whole world deletes their rainbow-coloured profiles.

How to build a gender-fluid work culture and make advertising more inclusive

<ul><li><keyword id="3671421" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tonic-Worldwide">Tonic Worldwide</keyword>’s HI+AI insight division ‘GIPSI’ shares Diwali 2020 profiles with insights and implications for marketers’ quick reference.</li><li>Revenge consumers are the ones who want to live the old normal, and are ready to pay the premium in the new normal to experience the same and more.</li></ul>Diwali 2020 is here and so are many perspectives. The industry is buzzing with positive sentiment and brands are extending the sentiment by supporting smaller players. Everyone has been waiting for Diwali in 2020 as a ray of hope for recovery. Digital data is a powerhouse of insights. ‘GIPSI’, the HI +AI insights division of Tonic Worldwide has published a brief <keyword id="10265036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="diwali-report">Diwali report</keyword> about the digital consumer profiles with insights and implications. This attempts to decode the pre-Diwali digital behaviour with its ‘Deep Listening’ methodology. The data sources are multiple for ‘Deep Listening’ Method – it goes beyond digital conversations and maps the data with interests and searches added with unique HI perspectives giving actionable insights. According to the report: The Revenge Diwali celebration consumer intends to spend, not save! For them splurge is the new retail therapy. This profile of TG is ready to pay the premium to celebrate Diwali in the old normal way and more. Their heavy wallets need a breather. Which is good news for marketers. This is reflected in staycation syndrome - 289% increase in conversations, and 179% increase in intent. International travel - 171% increase in conversation, and 650% increase in searches. What’s more - 433% increase in interest in "Premium" trends across categories. GIPSI is asking brands if they are premium worthy for the Revenge celebration? The Cautious Diwali celebration consumers are the non-risk takers and want to play by the book. They find the mobile screen as the safest window for – buying, experiencing, celebrating and meeting! The interesting part about this is that ‘caution’ has led to the tech adoption as we can see Diwali shopping is on full swing with 600% interest growth in ‘live shopping’. 164% increase in conversations and 129% increase in search volumes w.r.t video shopping. GIPSI suggests brands to keep the ‘screen mask on’ to engage with the cautious ones. The 40% interest increase in ‘car purchase’ and 105% interest increase in ‘test drive’ booking shows that the cautious want to invest in safe private travel transport The Diwali in disguise celebration profile wants to celebrate Diwali without peer pressure, social calendar and social expectations, leading to celebrating Diwali in the most authentic way. The behaviour can simply be understood with DIY meeting CIY (Celebrate It Yourself). There is an 800% increase in DIY Outfit, and 247% increase in DIY Home Décor, added with 90% increase in searches related to ‘Diwali at Home’. What’s more, this TG is even going hi-tech with Diwali cleaning with 300% search increase in "vacuum robots". GIPSI says brands which keep it authentic and appeal to CIY sentiment for this TG will win their hearts. For the ones in denial of Pandemic, Diwali is a break from the Pandemic. The greed for Diwali celebrations has got the better of them –even the pandemic cannot come in the way of Diwali and them. They are in ‘Pandemic off. Party on’ mode. There is a 26 times increase in conversations related to ‘Festive Crowd’ during pre-Diwali compared to the beginning of this festive season. 68% increase in searches for ‘Diwali Party’, 55% increase in searches for 'local sale'. 50% increase in searches related to 'street shopping’. This has concerned GIPSI, while GIPSI is a great promoter of listening to consumers, for this profile she is urging brands not to listen to the consumers. Instead, take care of their safety while they are not taking care of themselves. Commenting on the report, <keyword id="5909082" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unmisha-Bhatt">Unmisha Bhatt</keyword>, Chief Strategy Officer and Director – India &amp; MENA region, Tonic Worldwide, says, “There are a lot of expectations from Diwali 2020. The power of digital is also far more realized than previous years by brands across categories. Deep listening and data enables brands to navigate uncertainty by understanding underlying sentiments, currents, trends, insights. Once brands understand what their TG cares about, it enables them to build long lasting relationships. With this report, we are uncovering the types of consumers and their mindsets in the current times so that brands can capitalise on these insights.” <keyword id="6618180" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anjali-Malthankar">Anjali Malthankar</keyword>, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide, says “In a data overloaded world, what’s missing is the perspective and the HI touch to the AI data. Agile, HI +AI is a great combination for a tool which can report consumer insights in real time! Whether you are a marketer or a consumer, all will enjoy and relate to the profiles defined in this report- check out how you or your consumers relate to the profiles.” Gipsi was launched in 2018 and is being headed and driven by Unmisha Bhatt, Chief Strategy Officer, Tonic Worldwide and Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide.

The revenge Diwali consumer wants to spend, not save, reveals report

<ul><li>With Father’s Day around the corner, we decided to look at how the <keyword id="9427183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-agency-network">Indian agency network</keyword> is slowly moving towards building an equal space for both men and women at work by offering <keyword id="1759407" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="paternity-leaves">paternity leaves</keyword>. </li><li>We observe when these policies were added into their system to understand how long it took them to realise that new fathers also deserve paid leaves to be able to share the load equally at home. </li><li>The agencies we reached out offer paternity leave for 1-2 weeks. </li></ul>For the longest time, paternity leave wasn’t a concept in India. It was mothers who took care of the household chores and new-born kid(s). Fathers, on the other hand, either did not have an option to take leaves or they did not feel comfortable availing paternity leave in the fear of losing their job role to someone else in that short period of time. In India, paternity leaves are usually offered for one or two weeks, as opposed to 26 weeks or 182 days for new mothers. This wide gap, according to <a href="https://feminisminindia.com/2020/01/23/paternity-leaves-sexist-gap-parental-policies/">Feminism in India</a>, exists because new mothers need more time to physically heal and secondly, because of the bias that fathers do not need to stay home as much as mothers since they take on the child-rearing responsibilities for a longer time. India is still 90 out of the 187 countries in the world with no national policies to ensure that fathers get enough paid time off with their infants and wives, when they need them the most. Zomato and Novartis are the only two companies in our country that offer a 26-week-long paternity leave. With Father’s Day around the corner, we decided to collate a list of <keyword id="2398193" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-agencies">Indian agencies</keyword> who do offer paternity leave, for how long and look back at the year they added it to reflect on India’s progress in shaping gender equality. The Glitch <div type="image" title="Glitch logo 4_3" msid="76459389" hostid="261"></div> Highest amongst all, The Glitch offers a paternal leave upto 15 days which can be extended to 30 days/one month if requested by the employee. <keyword id="6368370" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="dentsu-aegis-network">Dentsu Aegis Network</keyword>: <div type="image" title="DAN logo" msid="76459373" hostid="261"></div> The paternity leave offered at DAN is of 15 days, which a father can avail within the first three months of the newborn. According to Sunil Seth, Head HR Business Partner- South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network, the paternal care policy was added since the network’s inception. FCB India: <div type="image" title="fcb logo 4_3" msid="76459400" hostid="261"></div> Added on April 01, 2017, FCB India offers its new fathers a two-week leave. A male employee who legally adopts a child below the age of three months is also entitled to paternity leave of two weeks. MullenLowe Lintas: <div type="image" title="Mullen logo 4_3" msid="76460676" hostid="261"></div> This agency grants 15 working days as paternity leave, within the first three months after the delivery of the child. Tonic Worldwide: <div type="image" title="Tonic logo 4_3" msid="76459440" hostid="261"></div> 15 days of leave, offered since 2017 for both biological and adoptee parents. Expectant parents have no cap on work-from-home. They can operate from home for as many days as they want. Schbang <div type="image" title="Schbang logo 4_3 (1)" msid="76467531" hostid="261"></div> Placed since its inception, Schbang offers a paternity leave for 15 days along with flexible working hours and work from home options that are made available to the new parent. Kinnect <div type="image" title="Kinnect logo 4_3" msid="76459475" hostid="261"></div> Offers a paternity leave of 15 days and is happy to accommodate requests for extended leaves. White Rivers Media: <div type="image" title="White Rivers Media 4_3" msid="76509971" hostid="261"></div> Biological/Adoptee Fathers are given 15 days of paid leave and upto 3 additional weeks of optional work from home. The above leaves can be availed within the first 6 months of the birth of the baby. The Womb: <div type="image" title="The Womb logo 4_3" msid="76459502" hostid="261"></div> Time-off as per what employees need. Usually offers two weeks. VMLY&amp;R India: <div type="image" title="vmlyr logo 4_3" msid="76459510" hostid="261"></div> All male full-time employees are entitled to 10 days of Paternity leave, which can be combined with planned or sick leave. DDB Mudra: <div type="image" title="ddb logo 4_3" msid="76459542" hostid="261"></div> DDB Mudra Group has had a paternity leave policy in place since 2011 and offers a upto 5 days of paid Paternity Leave immediately post the birth of the child and another 5 days within 6 months of the birth of the child. The 120 Media Collective: <div type="image" title="120MC logo" msid="76509890" hostid="261"></div> The 120 Media Collective has had paternity leave policy in place since 2012. It offers the new parent (biological/adoptive) a paid leave of 10 working days which can be extended and combined with regular leaves. It also has flexible working hours and a work from home option to help the new parent ease themselves into their new way of life. Wunderman Thompson <div type="image" title="Wunderman logo 4_3" msid="76460264" hostid="261"></div> Its Paternity Leave Policy offers 5 working days off immediately after the birth of the baby, which is applicable in the case of adoption as well as surrogacy. This policy has been around for around 5 years at Wunderman Thompson. It has also launched a group initiative called 'Safe Room' where working fathers will be given space to candidly share and discuss the unique challenges that come with being a working dad. Gozoop: <div type="image" title="Gozoop logo 4_3" msid="76459558" hostid="261"></div> Any employee who is entitled to paternity benefits gets 5 days of leave before or after the child is born. Employee also gets the option of dividing his working hours by spending four hours at the office and the rest at home for the duration of 15 days. Here is hoping that more companies and agencies join the list and adopt the 26-week paid leave policy for new fathers. Disclaimer: We reached out to as many Indian agencies as we could. If we missed adding your agency here, email us the details at <a href="mailto:karuna@timesbridge.com">karuna@timesbridge.com</a>

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How to build a gender-fluid work culture and make advertising more inclusive

Karuna Sharma

The revenge Diwali consumer wants to spend, not save, reveals report

BI India Partner

A look at Indian agencies and their paternity leave policies

Karuna Sharma

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