Mumbai: The International Advertising Association’s India Chapter (IAA) is hosting the third edition of its Voice of Change summit on 11 November at the Google office in Gurugram. Through this event, the IAA is championing the mindful portrayal of gender across all forms of content. Google India & Youtube are the presenting partners, while UNICEF the Knowledge Partner and TVS are the Associate Partner for this event.
Content shapes consumers' mindsets. And because it is consumed across geographies, demographics, and platforms, it is important to sensitise people to the way gender is portrayed. The third edition of the IAA: Voice of Change summit is set to be an inspiring day of debates, discussions, and dialogues for policymakers, advertisers, brand custodians, content creators, and communication specialists to recognise their power in driving balanced and inclusive portrayals of gender roles in media for enduring change.
Through discussions with a diverse range of content creators from advertising/digital/film backgrounds, the event will shed light on the power of imagery and narrative in shaping perception of gender roles.
Former Minister of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), government of India & actor Smriti Irani and actor Taapsee Pannu are among the speakers who will be part of the half-day event.
The Free Press Journal, IAA India Chapter & president, Abhishek Karnani said, “Among the various initiatives undertaken by the IAA in the country, we have been pushing the needle around gender-sensitive communication across platforms. The ‘Voice of Change’ movement is our flagship property in this space. Through this event this year, we will push the cause across the industry with a diverse list of speakers covering advertising, marketing and media.”
IAA Women Empowerment Committee chairperson, Nina Elavia Jaipuria added, "Content is a mirror to society. As content creation gets democratised and viewership grows, it is imperative to create awareness and sensitize creators towards a positive, inclusive and gender equitable portrayal in their narratives. At the third edition of the IAA 'Voice of Change’ summit, we have Smriti Irani, as a keynote speaker & also joining us is actor Taapsee Pannu, who is known for pushing gender stereotype in the roles she has played. Along with them is an illustrious panel of speakers from the advertising, marketing and media community, we continue to actively challenge stereotypes across the content industry to drive enduring change.”
IAA Women Empowerment Committee co-chair, Megha Tata, further stated, “The first edition of Voice of Change focussed on advertising. The second year added TV & OTT content. This year we are adding Digital content to the conversation. We know that the level of content being consumed is at an all-time high on digital and social platforms and it is important that gender stereotyping is addressed on digital and social content also. I’d like to thank UNICEF and Google for partnering with us in helping make a much-needed shift in the perceptions of gender.”
