<ul><li>Shop Quality Products at the Lowest Prices’ says Meesho in Latest ‘Loon Ya Na Loon?’ Campaign.</li><li>It is conceptualised by <keyword id="910338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ddb-mudra-group" source="Orion">DDB Mudra Group</keyword>.</li></ul>Meesho has launched its latest campaign, which highlights the consumer dilemma of ‘Loon Ya Na Loon?’. The campaign continues to underline the unmatched value proposition of the company’s ‘Sahi Sahi Lagaya Hai’ (the right price) appeal. <div type="Youtube" id="UG8Op52U15A" title="Loon Ya Na Loon, sawal ka ultimate jawaab is here!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UG8Op52U15A/mqdefault.jpg"></div> People shop to fulfill multiple desires and for many value-seeking consumers, shopping has become an exercise of choosing one desire over another. Meesho’s latest campaign puts an end to the ‘Loon Ya Na Loon’ dilemma often faced by consumers seeking to maximize their spend within a budget. Featuring three TVCs that target three different consumer segments - women, men and young adults, the campaign highlights Meesho’s unmatched value proposition of offering quality products at the lowest prices. <div type="Youtube" id="SjL2-dwqAFg" title="Stress-free shopping ka aasan raasta is here!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SjL2-dwqAFg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Megha Agarwal, Head of Growth at Meesho, said, “When consumers want to purchase something they desire, the guilt or need to cut down on other expenses often crop up, making them prioritize one desire over another. The core objective of the campaign is centered around resolving the ‘Loon Ya Na Loon’ predicament. At Meesho, we are helping millions fulfill their desires by providing them a wide selection of quality products at the lowest prices.” Conceptualized by DDB Mudra, the campaign is based on the insight that consumers often debate "Loon ya na Loon?" before making any purchase. The TVCs showcase the protagonist's journey from contemplation to a no-compromise shopping experience on Meesho. “To buy or not to buy – that is the question. Which bargain-hunting, value-conscious Indian shopper has not hit the pause button and wondered about all the demands on her/his budget, before picking up something? It is this behavioral truth that we played on to land a simple message – Meesho offers prices so low, you’ll never have to choose between one thing or the other again. The result was a breezy yet insightful campaign which we believe will resonate with our target audiences around the country,” says <keyword id="3282725" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pallavi-chakravarti" source="Orion">Pallavi Chakravarti</keyword>, Creative Head – West, DDB Mudra The campaign will air on major TV networks such as Star Plus, Colors, Zee TV, Aaj Tak, Sony Max, Zee TV in addition to YouTube, and OTT platforms. Each film is shot in three zonal master languages – Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali and further amplified in other regional languages like Assamese, Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi and Telugu.

Meesho targets value-seeking consumers; shares how they can maximise their spends within a budget

<ul><li><keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> has launched its first-ever campaign for India. </li><li>It is a 360 degree campaign and the creatives will also feature emerging creators like Saurabh Ghadge, Meethika Dwivedi and Shantanu Dhope. </li></ul> Instagram today announced a new consumer marketing campaign aimed at encouraging young people to express and explore their personal stories, on the platform. The campaign, ‘We Are In the Making’, is Instagram’s first brand campaign in India, and will air on TV during the IPL and the upcoming T20 cricket World Cup, in addition to other broadcasters. <div type="Youtube" id="1fBskQXLaG0" title="We Are In The Making | Instagram" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1fBskQXLaG0/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The campaign is a part of Instagram’s new global brand campaign and it showcases the way people can explore who they can be with Instagram. It is based on the insight that young people want to express themselves and be a part of a community, but look for constant nudges of encouragement from those around them. <div type="Youtube" id="xhgsviMIa1U" title="We Are In The Making | Instagram" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xhgsviMIa1U/mqdefault.jpg"></div> ‘We Are In The Making’ is hence rooted in the fact that for young people, identity isn’t defined, it’s something that’s constantly explored. Identity formation means connecting more deeply with the people that matter to you, discovering and experimenting with new interests, or sharing your perspective, however work-in-progress it may be. <div type="Youtube" id="5z7j4PI07v0" title="We Are In The Making | Instagram" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5z7j4PI07v0/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Avinash Pant, Director - Marketing, Facebook India, gives more context, “With Reels, we’ve seen the rise of a new cohort of short form video creators who’ve discovered their interests and found their voice, and attained national popularity in the process. The new campaign from Instagram brings these local insights together, with our global platform, and celebrates the multi-dimensional generation. While the young continue to shape their identity, we wanted to highlight the power of self-discovery for them through relatable and inspirational stories. We hope the campaign encourages young Indians to express and shape themselves on Instagram.” The campaign creatives are inspired by the community and some feature some popular emerging creators, such as Saurabh Ghadge, Karan Sonawane, Neel, Meethika Dwivedi, Shantanu Dhope and Kruthika, Sriram, Shayan Roy. Each of them have used Reels, among other features, to rise in popularity and hence the campaign creatives too feature Reels. The is a 360 degree campaign and will be visible on TV, digital, outdoors, and will have more experiential elements to it too. The films will air for 10 weeks starting today, as part of the current cricket season, and will be visible across India in 8 local languages. In India, the campaign has been visualized in partnership with DDB Mudra. Pallavi Chakravarti, Creative Head - DDB Mudra West, says, “Experimentation is the name of the game. Or at least it was, an hour ago. That’s how quickly the world is changing in the Instaverse. A platform where a storm of creation is constantly brewing, self-expression is being permanently redefined and identities are being shaped and reshaped with every passing day. Nothing is set in stone here, it is culture-in-progress. To bring this reality to life through a campaign, we decided to keep it real. Hence the articulation: We Are In The Making.” <div type="Youtube" id="xqp-ogSsh5s" title="We Are In The Making | Instagram" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xqp-ogSsh5s/mqdefault.jpg"></div> This campaign is the platform that builds over all the existing efforts from Instagram to engage with young people. Be it the launch of new features like Remix, or the launch of new programs like the new e-learning creator education (‘Born on Instagram’) program. Agency - DDB Mudra Creative: Rahul Mathew, Pallavi Chakravarti, Rahul Arcot, Mahima Mathur, Aditi Jadhav, Roy Sabastian, Manish Darji, Prasad Rao, Darshan Dhonde

Instagram launches its first brand campaign in India; encourages young people to explore their interests and find their voice

<ul><li><keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> has launched the second film under its '<keyword id="10874268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="more-together">More Together</keyword>' campaign.</li><li>The ad, conceptualized by <keyword id="2805309" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taproot-Dentsu">Taproot Dentsu</keyword> is the story of how Facebook helps a <keyword id="2560065" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="book-lover">book lover</keyword> who rescues books from being consigned to the bin, find homes for them.</li></ul> Facebook has launched the second film as a part of its ongoing ‘More Together’ campaign. Conceptualized by Taproot Dentsu India and title <keyword id="242406" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dhara">Dhara</keyword>, the ad is sure to delight book lovers. The story follows the life of Dhara, a book lover who rescues books from being consigned to the bin and with the help of Facebook, finds homes for many of her rescued books. Isn't this what most book-lovers would want to do? The film continues to build on the theme of how people can do more together than alone. It showcases the endless possibilities one can achieve through the power of the platform. <div type="Youtube" id="k10Egt2ynIY" title="2021 Facebook | More Together - Dhara" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k10Egt2ynIY/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Talking about the inspiration behind the ad, <keyword id="6022283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Kanitkar">Neeraj Kanitkar</keyword>, Senior Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “This film is a sweet and simple demonstration of Facebook’s inherent power. Which is to supercharge the efforts of one person when the community gets behind it. It is quite rare to be in the advertising business without having some love for the written word. So when Gauri Burma – the most passionate book lover amongst us – came up with the idea, we knew we simply had to make it happen. We hope that it inspires people to consider using Facebook to give a new lease of life to old, forgotten and about-to-be-turned-into-pulp books.” For the record, the first ad in the series is of ‘Rinchen’, a female football coach in Ladakh who shares her players’ videos on Facebook. The film highlights how the power of connections not only creates a fan-following for her team but also propels her and the team’s career forward. Taproot Dentsu Agency Credits Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu and Creative Chairperson India, dentsu: Agnello Dias Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer: Santosh Padhi Chief Executive Officer: Umesh Shrikhande Executive Creative Director: Pallavi Chakravarti EVP &amp; Head of Office: Ayesha Ghosh EVP &amp; Head of Strategic Planning: Shashank Lanjekar Senior Creative Director: Neeraj Kanitkar Group Head (Copy): Gauri Burma Group Head (Art): Rutul Mistry Creative Supervisor (Art): Sushant Kadam Visualizer: Sujay Kamble Vice President, Strategic Planning: Pearl Vas Senior Account Planner: Kanupriya Mahajan Senior Account Planner: Nishita Vazarkar Vice President, Account Management: Amit Murthy Account Supervisor: Fiona Maben Account Supervisor: Ana Iman Film Credits Production House: Lens Flare Films Production Director: Sachin Kotre Executive Producer: Naveed Khan

Facebook's new 'More Together' film will delight the book lover in you

<ul><li>Conceptualised and executed by <keyword id="2805309" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taproot-Dentsu">Taproot Dentsu</keyword>, the creative agency from the house of <keyword id="6368370" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="dentsu-aegis-network">Dentsu Aegis Network</keyword> (DAN) India, the campaign highlights the power of connections through a high decibel marketing campaign. </li><li>This is a 360 degree campaign that will span mediums like Digital, Out of Home, Radio &amp; Cinema. </li></ul>Facebook today launched a new consumer marketing campaign in India, ‘More Together’, to showcase how people across the country can do more together by harnessing the power of their connections on the platform. The campaign marks many firsts for the company. India is the first country in the Asia Pacific region where such a campaign is being rolled out. It is also the first time that Facebook is rolling out a high decibel campaign of this stature in India. Consumer marketing is a new strategic area of focus for Facebook and is part of the company’s priority of transparently communicating the role its services play in the world. ‘More Together’ is the marketing campaign for the Facebook App, to share stories that celebrate and highlight the power of connections. It is built on the core belief that people can do more together, than alone. 
 
 <div type="Youtube" id="1PjfIIFEf_M" title="Facebook: 'Holi' - More Together" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1PjfIIFEf_M/mqdefault.jpg"></div>





 Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, comments, “India is at the heart of Facebook and one of our focus areas this year is to tell the exciting story of a service that is deeply embedded in the fabric of India. While at the company level we remain focussed on building trust, we want to showcase the many ways that Facebook is intertwined in the lives of Indians - from connecting with loved ones, to growing businesses and supporting local communities, to finding ways to come together to learn and share and celebrate. I could not be more excited that we are telling our story – it is a story that is lived by people across the country every day.” The campaign for India has been conceptualized and executed by Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India. It will have multiple campaigns going on air, across India, over the next few weeks, in 8 languages. This is a 360 degree campaign that will span mediums like Digital, Out of Home, Radio &amp; Cinema. In the words of Agnello Dias, Co-founder, Taproot Dentsu and Creative Chairperson, Dentsu Aegis Network India, says, “Taproot Dentsu is delighted to develop such an important campaign for one of the most loved services in the country. The world of Facebook represents a canvas of connections that’s huge, vibrant and full of serendipitous outcomes and surprises. To celebrate all users and to inspire more of them to benefit from the power of connections, our creative team led by Pallavi Chakravarti, wrote stories with all these unexpected, wonderful outcomes, which are inspired by real people and their real journeys.” The first TVC is directed by Shimit Amin, of Chak De! fame, and aired on Saturday, February 29th. It is themed around Holi and it personifies the ‘More Together’ campaign, as it shows young people across geographies sharing the festive spirit, using the power of their connections built on the Facebook app. Shimit Amin spoke about the TVC set in the context of Holi, “I think there was this wonderful opportunity to resonate culturally. And that was incredibly motivating to do the best we could do. It really pushed us naturally without feeling like a chore. There was something really organic about it. And I think that shows. The feelings are genuine. And emotionally, it unexpectedly takes you to high not felt before.” The out-of-home ads have been created by Bharat Sikka and feature people like Sanjyot Keer from Your Food Lab, Kamiya Jani from Curly Tales, Madhura Bachal from Madhuras Recipe, Paula McGlynn and Sarang Sathaye from BhaDiPa, Chhavi Mittal and Mohit Hussein from SIT, Varun Pruthi and Maithili Thakur, who leveraged the power of Facebook to fuel their aspirations. This campaign was preceded by the updated branding for the Facebook company that was announced in November 2019. It introduced a new company logo to further distinguish the Facebook company from the Facebook app. The company also recently announced the appointment of Avinash Pant as the Marketing Director for India operations, to drive the consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps.

Facebook rolls out 'More Together', its first-ever Holi campaign that celebrates togetherness

<ul><li><keyword id="2568448" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="DSM-India">DSM India</keyword> has launched its second <keyword id="9950872" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="project-streedhan">Project Streedhan</keyword> campaign, underlining the need to build immunity in women through proper nutrition. </li><li>However, it lacks representation as it features women of one body size, type, shape and age. </li><li>It aims to empower women to embrace, prioritise and take care of themselves by filling up their vault of health with proper nourishing food. </li><li>However, does it fall into the same trap it is trying to escape? We speak to experts to find out. </li></ul>Advertising in India has come a long way when it comes to representation of women. From a time when women were only portrayed as home-makers taking care of everybody, today ads talk about a larger role that they play in the world. However, we realised something. Very few ads show women eating, which as an activity is such a normal, everyday thing. But we've rarely seen women do that in ads. It is usually they who cook, feed others or wait until after dinner to feed themselves from what is left. Women are shown as caretakers, nourishers or givers, very rarely do they prioritize themselves in real life or pop culture. Dutch State Mines’ CSR initiative Project Streedhan has exhorted women to give their nutrition and themselves equal importance by investing in iron-rich food. The first phase of advertisement released in 2019 aimed at raising awareness about iron deficiency in women's bodies that causes. It portrayed uninhibited women consuming food -- with no filters or worrying about ‘what will people think.’ It encouraged women to celebrate their femininity and eat like nobody's watching, becoming the revolutionary campaign women needed that urged them not to neglect their health behind their husband, kids or desk. The project by DSM India also reminded people that women need to be healthy to be financially independent, it changed the definition of what Streedhan meant. This time, the Streedhan campaign seeks to drive home a similar message -- that our health is our real wealth at all times, and that we need to nurture our immunity by feeding it, building it, and protecting it. The ad tells them to be their own bodyguard by filling up the vault of their health. Three out of four women in India are deficient in vitamins and being deficient in vitamins is known to lower immunity, and therefore lower resistance to infections. <div type="Youtube" id="a-v6I_HAl6g" title="Project Streedhan | #InvestInYourImmunity" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/a-v6I_HAl6g/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Titled ‘<keyword id="9927435" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sehat-ki-tijori">Sehat Ki Tijori</keyword>,’ the advertisement has been crafted by <keyword id="2804902" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="FCB-Ulka-Advertising">FCB Ulka Advertising</keyword> to emphasise the importance of stocking nutritious food. The advertisement is aesthetically pleasing and the catchy song stays with you. Every frame seems like painting. However, for an advertisement that aims to raise awareness about anemic women or celebrate women at leisure and empower them, it first comes across as an ad for a clothing, beauty or juice brand. It features women of one kind, with one body type, shape and age, which are otherwise seen as ‘ideal’ bodies of ‘desirable’ age. It aims to be rustic but ends up painting a picture that is flawlessly beautiful. It lacks representation of different kinds of women. While the message is about women empowerment and finding the right nourishment, it uses beauty standards to send it across. Women seem to eat in an erotic way perched up on a branch but it is sexualised, appears pleasurable and not about feeding or taking care of themselves. Since its aim is to celebrate femininity, women’s health and reach out to women in every nook of our country, be it urban or rural, will women resonate with it? Or does it feel like an advertisement made from the male gaze? Does it fall into the trap it is trying to escape from? We reached out to a few experts from our industry to see what they feel. “I am appalled by the sexual overtones. I have no idea what this communication piece is trying to say and to whom,” said Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder and Director, Elephant Design. Disha Daswani, Creative Director, Schbang, said, "They have achieved cinematic brilliance and even composed a song that one can’t get out of their heads, I mean who wouldn’t want to hear Sona Mohapatra’s voice on repeat? The concept of showing real women, with real problems is completely lost. Yes, we all wished we looked as gorgeous as that, wrapped in a silk saree and glowing amidst vast fields, sucking on a fruit. But sadly no. People with low immunity and anemia (speaking from experience) wake up pale, have noticeable dark circles that prompt questions like ‘hey you look tired today.’ Also, what’s up with casting only slim women who fit the wardrobe well and the excessive lip biting? The concept of Anaemia and low immunity has been romanticized, and not nearly as accurate of how women with this sickness look/feel. You could call it creative liberty or just sheer ignorance?" Alpa Dedhia, Business Director, VMLY&amp;R INDIA felt that the visuals divert attention away from the core message. She said, “Titillating tone of the ad loses the message of women's health for me. There is more to women than just being objectified. The issue about lack of vitamins is an important one and nowhere in the ad is there any serious attempt to address it. A woman is the one who cares for everyone and in the process of doing so; she neglects herself… This is a sacrifice that needs to be addressed and not just girls swinging and dancing around trees.” Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, <keyword id="212000" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taproot">Taproot</keyword> Dentsu, found the ad ineffective. She said, "The depiction of women was unnecessarily sensual for a subject like immunity building – the execution didn’t connect to the problem at hand at all – at least for me. I mean, when I watched it, the last thing on my mind was whether I might have vitamin deficiencies and what I should do to bolster my immunity." Upasana Naithani- Business Head, Digital, Infectious Advertising also said that the video has sexualised women because it ignores the cause it is made for. She explained, "Especially for the cause it represents, promoting, health and well-being should have been prioritized over the sexual overtone, the video has sexualised women for sure. The fact that immunity is a need for underprivileged, and malnourished is completely overlooked. We also see a certain kind of women being chosen for the ad which is disappointing as this was a great platform to be inclusive of different kinds of women who struggle with immunity." FCB Ulka’s idea behind this advertisement was to celebrate women’s lust for life. Explaining the thought process behind selecting professional models and following beauty standards, FCB Ulka Advertising’s spokesperson said, “There are many narratives that have restricted the idea of womanhood and women’s empowerment – so it is but natural that we may see things at times from different perspectives. With project Streedhan, we wanted to break a fundamental narrative that has restricted women’s empowerment. The idea that women are the nourisher, and therefore de-prioritise their own nourishment. They are expected to eat least and last. Prioritizing their own health and enjoyment is seen as selfish and taboo. With project Streedhan, we celebrate a woman’s lust for life. It is not about sexualizing them as objects of desire, but acknowledging them as whole beings, sexual, woman and above all human. The project gives women ‘permission’ without preaching to them, to enjoy unabashedly their food, to unleash their lust for life. This struck a deep chord with women everywhere as the virality of the first project showed.” “Having different body sizes would indeed be inclusive – however as we were creating a new narrative where women are free to enjoy their food without guilt, we didn’t want body sizes to hijack the messages with more misogynistic “greedy/ selfish’’ narrative. In the future, we will explore how we can drive inclusivity while keeping the narrative intact," said the agency spokesperson. Karthik Srinivasan, Brand Communications and Social Media Expert, had reviewed Streedhan’s first advertisement and appreciated it for its timing, technique, aesthetics and narrative device. However, he posed a few questions that advertisement did not answer the last time and hasn’t this time as well. He wrote, “The film showcases glamorous looking women eating a lot of colourful food and fruits, including corn, watermelon, pomegranate and so on. The text—and the song—exhorts women to eat more iron. Is the implication that they should eat more of what is being shown in the film (those foods that contain iron, presumably)? Wouldn’t it be more useful to showcase a list of kinds of food women should consume instead of just making it seem like the way Katrina Kaif consumes mangoes in the Slice ad? But it doesn’t seem to be doing justice to the problem (and its gravity) it is trying to address.”

Project Streedhan's latest ad wants to prove an important point, but has its over-beautified, sensual storytelling made it lose the plot?

<ul><li>While the ad industry has a lot of womentoday, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours, or the flexibility to work from home.</li><li>The women leaders we spoke to believe organizations need to prioritize training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles, and this should be a part of the company’s culture.</li><li>There is also a need to relook at the way employee’s performances are evaluated, coming up with newer ways of assessing talent in a time where the way of doing business has seen a complete overhaul.</li></ul> In late 2019, a report by Credit Suisse stated that women’s representation in boardrooms in India increased only by 4.3% between 2014 and 2019. The report further stated that the current female representation on boards is only 15.2% which invariably led to dialogues around the conspicuous lack of women leaders in the upper rungs of the corporate world. Having said that, the world of advertising, marketing and media is one industry that has seen a lot of women in roles of leadership. While we are still far from an equal man-woman ratio in the industry, it is heartening to see more and more women take the top spots. Conversations with most women leaders from the industry led us to believe that this is an industry that welcomes women to be a part of the workforce. However, it is during their mid-career levels that a lot of women drop out of the workforce, leading to a dip in women who take up higher positions. We reached out to some of the most influential women in the industry currently, to gauge what are the reasons for these drop-outs, and what needs to be done, as an industry as well at individual organizational levels, to ensure that women are retained, and even if they drop-out, are encouraged to rejoin the workforce. We received an overwhelming response to our queries from across the sector from women who made some really compelling points. These women who feel passionately about the subject laid their hearts bare, telling us ways they think the industry can evolve, to become more inclusive. Here are some of the most prominent voices. Building a culture of inclusivity It is often noticed that while a lot of women are joining the workforce, many of them take the decision of quitting once they decide to get married or decide to have children. Many find it difficult to come back, due to the lack of flexible working hours at their workplaces, or even due to a certain amount of judgment where people look at them a little differently after they come back from a long break. Most of the women leaders we spoke to believe that the work culture needs to evolve a little, to make way for such women, giving them the flexibility that many of them need, once they start a family. <keyword id="4356726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="srija-chatterjee">Srija Chatterjee</keyword>, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide, India shared that while a few corporates have started giving some assistance to women, the ad industry hasn’t yet started doing that actively. “As an industry, we have woken up to women leaders and we are trying to make things happen for women, to make sure that they don't jump off from the workforce. However, there's still a long way to go. The biggest reason women stop working is when they get into that life stage of having children. A lot of corporates are today providing strong support, through office crèches or flexi-timing options. That has not yet happened in our industry. From a business perspective, the size of our agencies might not be that big, which makes implementing this a bit of a challenge. But the more and more we get into a group structure, and offices become more centralized, it will enable organizations to look at shared resources to help women pursue their passion. This is something that could be done, but has not been done yet.” A lot of times, there is also a lot of judgement involved when women come back to work after a long break. Delving deeper into the need for a change in attitude, Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “You’ve been out of the scene way too long - you can’t expect the salary that you do after the kind of leave you’ve taken - but won’t your attention be divided now?” These are just some of the things women hear when they are seeking to make their way back into the workforce, post a long gap. Of course, this is not a blanket statement - times are changing, mindsets are changing, as are corporate policies. But if companies truly want to be gender-neutral then statements and questions like the ones I’ve cited above would never be heard again. Additionally, flexible working hours, working from home, working on time-bound projects are all steps that more and more organisations can adopt to ensure equal opportunities. And when I say equal, I mean that these options should be made available to both men and women. Shedding some light on how OLX is working on retaining some of its women, Sapna Arora, Chief Marketing Officer, OLX India said, “Setting the right example of favourable work culture much suited to women, not just in terms of facilities and infrastructure, but also in terms of broadening our thinking within an organization across various levels, is the key to inspire women working population to join the workforce and perform better. OLX, as an organization, is working on taking baby steps in creating empowering workplace for women. A couple of years ago, we at OLX embarked on a journey to evaluate the gender diversity ratio and actively worked to encourage more women in roles such as data scientists, engineers, front line sales and more. This is a conscious choice we have made under our global diversity and inclusion programme which seeks to improve the gender ratio across STEM and leadership roles.” Talking about the need to prioritize diversity in leadership, Emrana Sheikh, Enterprise HR Head for India and South Asia – Johnson &amp; Johnson said, “Today, companies are increasingly equating their C-suite diversity to competitive advantage for their businesses – and rightly so, it leads to robust dialogue, richer decisions and the empathy to design good, and human-centered solutions. For organizations looking for a paradigm shift in their work cultures, C-suite diversity sets an example for the rest of the team. At the basic level, it can be a source of inspiration that resonates down to the front-line staff. This is only possible when diversity in the leadership is prioritized and its long-term implementation is ensured at all levels through intentionality and focused talent management. Internal platforms such as Diversity &amp; Inclusion Council and Employee Resource Groups further drive culture strategies from a variety of lenses, championing inclusivity as a collective goal across levels. An inclusive culture transcends barriers, bias and bureaucracy, and makes the employees truly feel that they belong. All around, women are a critical mass of consumers, influencers, stakeholders and communities. Hence, reflection of the same in organizations is a business imperative.” Sharing a similar sentiment, Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director, Zirca Digital Solutions added, “Organizations need to ensure that women in the workplace are respected and recognized.For women to thrive in the workplace, organizations need to ensure an environment that is rooted in equal opportunity and a culture that is geared to assist women achieve their goals.” Sharing some tips on a few things that can be done at the organization level to help women continue to be a part of an organization, Ayesha Ghosh, General Manager, Taproot Dentsu added, “Younger women need to see older women in positions of influence. Flexible working hours and working from home might be a challenge in an industry that’s made a virtue of unreasonable working hours but we ought to be non-negotiable about starting early, cutting idle chatter, short lunch breaks and everything else that helps finish work early so that parents (and everyone else, really!) get to spend some time with their families. Ingraining fundamental values will go a much longer way than making token gestures. Enforcing paternity leave, for instance, so that the onus of child-rearing is not on the mother alone. When a parent, regardless of gender is expected to manage time such that they are responsible for their work as well as for their families, everyone will automatically spend less time on idle chatter and work a lot more efficiently.” An organization's culture also needs to have empathy at its foundation, shared Oindrila Roy, Head of Strategy, India, Essence, to make a difference. "As with any type of workforce integration, empathy should be the edifice on which workplaces are designed to integrate and retain both women and men more seamlessly. For women, it starts with stepping into her shoes, evaluating challenges from her point of view and arriving at solutions which are conducive. For example, an online survey conducted by JobsForHer found that 38% of women do not return to the workforce after giving birth, due to the lack of good day care for children. If that is the challenge, companies need to think of solving this problem innovatively - can the organisation collaborate with a nanny service provider to avail reliable childcare options to its employees? Reassured and empowered parents are likely to stay in the workforce longer." Modifying existing performance benchmarks Rubeena Singh, CEO, iProspect India believes that there is a need to relook at the performance benchmarks on which employees are evaluated. “In the middle years, I often see that we are trying to evaluate people on certain benchmarks. The criteria for these performance indicators have been put in place years ago when it was a largely male-dominated workforce. Things like 8 hours of work, or work in office, or if you want a senior position, you should have worked in different geographies etc. But sometimes, for women, it becomes very difficult to be mobile and move to different parts of the country, especially once they get married. As an industry, we really need to re-evaluate the criteria. We should look for quality now, if people are curious, if they are team-players, how innovative and out-of-the-box can they think. If these changes are brought about, a lot of women will find it easier to catch up from where they left, even if they are coming back after a long break.” Treating both men and women as equals at the workplace A lot of women leaders feel that there is an immediate need to start looking at both men and women as equals in the workspace and not differentiate on the basis of gender. Lara Balsara Wajifdar, Executive Director at Madison World said, “We need to look at women leaders as leaders first and not as women leaders. Don’t differentiate us on the basis of our gender, but differentiate us on the basis of our work! Our industry is always hungry for good talent and if the talent is good, the agency will always accommodate personal requests as long as the work is not affected.” Many also feel the starting point is to start a conversation, where both the genders are treated as equal participants. “<keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality">Gender equality</keyword> is not just a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue – that extends to all realms, including the workplace. To encourage equality across all lines of command in the workplace and have more women leaders, we need more men to be equal participants in the conversation around gender equality. Having the male workforce as partners can bring empowerment and equal respect among all genders. Global change-making initiatives like the UN’s ‘He for She’ Movement, of which I am a strong advocate, have been setting strong examples for people of all genders to take bold steps in solidarity and are working towards a gender-equal world,” said <keyword id="235731" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nadia-Chauhan">Nadia Chauhan</keyword>, JMD &amp; CMO, Parle Agro. Pointing out to some things that need to be done at an organizational level, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO Eros Digital at Eros International said, “There needs to be a cultural shift and change at workplaces to eradicate gender inequality and retain women employees. It is about time that companies consider deserving women for higher level positions and evaluate their performance sans bias. If there are more women leaders out there at the top positions, it gives a sense of confidence to the global sisterhood with strong role models. It is essential that companies organize mentorship programs to break the stereotype of what a man and a woman can or should do. There are several ways to retain a woman employee at work, but we also need to encourage more women to join the workforce. Equal pay, ensuring all voices are heard and feeling valued, creating safe work environment, etc. are all the least we can do.” Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch put it rather succinctly in her three-point recommendation on how to retain women. She said, “Firstly, treat your entire talent base with gender blindness. Best person for the job. Without over-thinking their family, marital, ‘emotional’ status. Just get the right person for the job. Secondly, allow your talent to align personal and professional goals and build a support system for them to come back to the same position at work after a break (marriage| child birth) and lastly, stop saying a certain gender matters more, prove by example by showing gender balance across functions.” Training young employees to think of themselves as leaders There is also a need for seniors to build an environment of motivating young women while also making them aware of their potential as future managers, shared Sujata Dwibedy, Group Trading Director, Ampilifi India. She said, “This question is asked to mostly senior women but ideally, both senior men, women and the entire team should be equally responsible to motivate the young, efficient women. The entire organisation gains if they can train and then retain competent women leading up to a management role. It is critical to show them advancement opportunities and their growth path. Policies might have to be tweaked but if it benefits all, it should not matter. Building an inclusive workplace, an organisational environment that values diversity not just for the sake of appearances but for the competitive edge that comes with access to multiple perspectives would make a difference.” There are a lot of internal barriers that women have to cross and training them to believe in themselves could help in ensuring they make it to the top. <keyword id="346168" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lulu-Raghavan">Lulu Raghavan</keyword>, Managing Director, Landor Associates said, “Even before thinking of getting more women leaders, we have to think of how we can create a better working place holistically. Secondly, you have to ensure that women at the top, doing good work get the visibility. It starts with the leadership, company philosophy and culture. You’ve got to find them and put them on the top because deserving women do exist. You can’t give us an excuse that there aren’t any women relevant for the top positions. A lot of training has to be done with women themselves; there are a few external barriers such as company policies, work environment, how other people behave towards you, and there are internal factors, which we women have set up through the years. It is the lack of self-confidence, self-doubt and imposter syndrome. We women have to be trained to be leaders. It should be different from the overall management chain because it is decades of social conditioning that companies have to break when women join them. “ Anita Kotwani, Senior Vice President, New Business, Mindshare added, “The industry needs to first acknowledge that Woman leaders can deliver as well as their male counterparts for senior-level roles. The grooming required should be done for the role and not the gender. If that happens you will see the necessary shift with more woman leaders leading the mantle.” Sharing her optimism about the future where she envisions more and more women to be on the top, Kranti Gada, COO Shemaroo Entertainment said, “A few years ago, I participated in a program called ‘Tanmatra’ organized by IIM Bangalore, to help develop and groom fellow women counterparts for about 9 months and the stories I heard about the differences in opportunities shocked me a little. I was happy to be at Shemaroo, where we have seen women in key roles leading from the front and managing the core business with ease and expertise. While the ratio of women is a little skewed in the industry, the gender gap is narrowing, and we will see more women taking charge in future in every field.”

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