Guest Column: Struggles of being women in the ad industry: Aatsi Desai Jasani

Certain statistics suggest that worldwide only 25 per cent of agency creatives are women, and just 11 per cent reach the creative director level. I believe that is reflective of the advertising and media agency business. With India being a patriarchal society, the numbers would be even poorer.

e4m by Aatsi Desai Jasani
Published: Mar 9, 2018 7:30 AM  | 4 min read

Certain statistics suggest that worldwide only 25 per cent of agency creatives are women, and just 11 per cent reach the creative director level.

I believe that is reflective of the advertising and media agency business. With India being a patriarchal society, the numbers would be even poorer.

The advertising industry has come a long way from what it was half a century ago. As depicted by the popular TV show Mad Men that is set in the 1960s, it was the men who were right at the top of the famous advertising firm Sterling Cooper. Don Draper was held as the creative director in spite of his ever-wavering personal life. However, it was altogether a different ball game for Joan to become a full partner and for Peggy to receive any recognition as a valuable copywriter.

Today of course advertising agencies are a lot different from what it was but some gender bias undertones can still be felt. There may be a large number of women at junior or midlevel agency roles but that number falls dramatically in senior most or leadership roles.

Some reasons for this that I can think of -

A. Being a woman
B. Being a woman + being married
C. Being a woman+ being married+ starting a family

The limits are already set because of being a woman. Thus, we suffer from a loss of opportunity even before starting.

This is exactly the opposite with men. Married men, in turn, are more sought after because since they are married they are looking at more security and more stability.

So how much is this really spoken about? When do we discuss this? If you Google it, the top results are on and around women day's issues of lead publications from the previous three years.

Let me share my personal experience from not too long ago.

After my marriage, I took a short break to travel. When I got back into the game, I went for a few job interviews and I remember one in particular because of the particular conversation that I had with the gentleman there. He seemed to have had a problem with me being married because he did not think twice before asking me what my motherhood plans were.

It's a question which in itself is quite offensive but I replied to him in a civil manner by simply saying that though it does not feature in my immediate future, it cannot be ruled out for later (awkward!!)

I was there for the business head position and of course, after my response, I never heard anything from that gentleman.

I am not saying women should be preferred purely because of their gender but definitely shouldn't be left out because of it.

In India, the expectation from women does not end with the paychecks. They are still expected to carry out social obligations and household chores. Women are as educated as men, intact with an increase in pass percentage. Recent statistics show more women are opting for higher studies now than they were earlier and graduating with exceptional grades. Then why the disparity?

In fact, there are some obvious reasons to have more women on-board besides creating a better office decorum. Let me state a few reasons. Women are born multi-taskers. We score high on emotional intelligence, managing all the chores and strike a fine balance between professional and personal life. We have got a good foresight, patience, negotiating and budgeting skills. Not to forget, today the two largest spenders in the industry are mainly talking to women. So, having women lead the team not only gives them (clients) confidence that you (agencies) understand them but also that you mean business.

I do believe things are improving. Diversity is a very important agenda within most agencies and a lot of them are actually doing something about it like providing better work-life balance, having mandates on hiring women, etc. But the big change will happen only when there is a change in the mindset and the onus lies on the men to be equal stakeholders in creating an equitable and diversified work environment.

More power to women!

(The author is Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of What Clicks)

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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