Advertising market size (USD): 9.89 billion

Launch date: March 2021

Strategic priorities: Addressing gender stereotypes in advertising and media with a primary focus on progressive portrayals of women and girls in non-traditional roles. The secondary focus is broadening the representation of women and particularly those returning to the workforce.

Champion: Hindustan Unilever Limited 

Members: Biocon Biologics Limited, Diageo, Havas Group, Kantar South Asia, Mediabrands India, Publicis Groupe, WPP India

Allies: Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), International Advertising Association (IAA), Samhita Social Ventures, The Advertising Club, UNICEF

Milestones

Diversity & Inclusion Edge Summit

Woman speaking on stage at Diversity & Inclusion Edge Summit

 

The India National Chapter successfully hosted the Diversity & Inclusion Edge Summit in Mumbai, in collaboration with the Advertising Standards Council of India and supported by Diageo,Hindustan Unilever & Havas. The event attracted over 300 professionals from advertising, marketing, and media, and featured discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Keynote speakers included Susan Ferguson, India Country Office Representative, who highlighted the importance of inclusive representation and shared insights from recent studies. The summit also showcased impactful campaigns like #SayNothingChangeNothing, emphasizing the industry's commitment to responsible advertising.

Participates in the Asia-Pacific Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Forum

Unstereotype Alliance India participated in the Asia-Pacific Women’s WEPs Forum, organized by UN Women under the DFAT-supported program 'Advancing the Implementation for Accelerated Business Action for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific.' This two-day forum emphasized dialogue, collaboration, and sharing best practices to promote gender equality in the marketing industry. Participants gained insights into the role of the private sector in fostering gender equality in advertising. Representatives from ASCI, Havas India, and Biocon contributed to keynote and breakout sessions. The event also highlighted the chapter's #YouDon’tSeeMe campaign, demonstrating the Unstereotype Alliance's impact on shifting industry perspectives towards gender equality.

Commemorates 2nd anniversary with the launch of the #YouDontSeeMe campaign

The India National Chapter celebrated its second anniversary by launching the #YouDontSeeMe campaign, a collaborative effort with Unstereotype Alliance members to address gender stereotypes in Indian advertising. This initiative comes in response to a study showing that 87% of Indian respondents believe women are portrayed in traditional roles in media, with a similar view for men. The campaign, developed by GREY Agency with media support from WPP and IPG Mediabrands India through GroupM and Lodestar UM, aims to highlight the disparity between media portrayals and real-life experiences by promoting gender-positive messages across print, digital, and out-of-home media. While this campaign was launched in Mumbai in presence of all the members of India National Chapter, over two months, the campaign was expanded to other major cities including New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune & Ahmedabad targeting an audience of about 10 million.

Launch: The Unstereotype Alliance India National Chapter launched in March 2021 with a founding group of nine members and allies.

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