Work is the differentiator, not gender: Sakshi Choudhary

Sakshi Choudhary, Creative Supervisor, OgilvyOne, talks about being one of the 15 women across the globe to be chosen for the coveted Cannes Lions ‘See It Be It’ acceleration programme

e4m by Allan Dsouza
Published: May 22, 2017 8:15 AM  | 4 min read
Work is the differentiator, not gender: Sakshi Choudhary

As creative agencies across the world battle it out to take home the much coveted metals in the run-up to the 64th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June, there has been an equally gruelling contest among women in the advertising world to book themselves a berth on the Cannes Lions’ ‘See It Be It’ acceleration programme that aims to put creative women in the spotlight.
 
Making it to the special list of the 15 chosen women across the globe is Sakshi Choudhary, Creative Supervisor, OgilvyOne. Though the news hasn’t completely sunk in yet, Choudhary talks about the possibilities such an initiative can open up towards establishing a gender-balanced environment not just in advertising, but in larger spheres of society too.
 
It all starts in the family
Growing up in a family where equality and respect were fundamental values, Choudhary feels it crucial to stand up to those values wherever she finds them missing. “My dad was in the army and so we had our fair share of struggles, but with my limited exposure and within what my parents could afford, they never differentiated between me and my brother,” says Choudhary. The differential treatment meted out to girls in many families that she came across later in life changed her outlook and challenged her to strive for change.
 
Action is the first step
A practitioner of art herself, Choudhary believes that creativity can lead change. The ‘See Saw’ project, which has produced a couple of art series, is her brainchild. “Gender biases perpetuate from our own cultures, traditions and several religious practices. I believe art has the power to touch lives and with the ‘See Saw’ project that is exactly what my team (comprising Jnana Prasanna Kumar Sarvasiddi, Co-founder, One September and Burzin Mehta, Group Creative Director, OgilvyOne) set out to achieve. It may be at a nascent stage, but at least it is visible action in the right direction,” says Choudhary.
 
Women too can leave a legacy in advertising  
For Choudhary, the gender bias in advertising boils down to numbers. The sheer difficulty that people have in recollecting names of great women advertisers is what gets her goat and makes her want to push for the cause with more fervour. “If you look at most creative juries, women make up less than 20%, which is an appalling stat, to say the least. Women possess the acumen, skill, talent and education to create outstanding work and leave an equal legacy if the gender bias is uprooted. This year, Cannes has 43% female jurors, which is a promising sign for women in advertising,” says a determined Choudhary.
 
The change that starts from within
It may be a cliché in most philosophy classes and self-help literature, but Sakshi is witness to the conscious attempts made at Ogilvy to promote women leadership at the top. “Our CEO, John Seifert, announced gender diversity as one of O&M’s biggest focus areas, and by 2025, more than 50% of top level positions will be filled by women,” says Choudhary optimistically. “It’s the attempts made within the agency that have caused a stir in our outlook. Be it with the ‘Self-Esteem’ workshops done by Dove or the #SkillsNotScars campaign done for acid attack survivors, Ogilvy has been the front-runner in taking up gender issues at the core of its business,” Choudhary adds.
 
Look forward to meeting the mentors
‘See It Be It’ is an acceleration programme launched by Cannes Lions in 2014 with an objective to put creative women in the spotlight. With an all-access pass throughout the festival and special privilege of one-to-one mentoring sessions from some of the most respected industry leaders including the ambassador of the programme, Madonna Badger, Choudhary has high hopes from Cannes. “Madonna is an inspiration to every woman in advertising. Her entire body of work speaks volumes of the efforts she has put in towards improving the ratio of female leaders in the industry. I eagerly look forward to meeting her and all the other outstanding jurors at Cannes,” she says enthusiastically.

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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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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

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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