The Female Protagonist

Ipads and smartphones have invaded our lives.
Packaged  foods jostle for space in kitchen shelves.
Travel destinations means international.
We are global  in every which way.

BUT, our fetish for the boy child remains.
Not just behind closed doors and social circles.
Not only confined to fervent prayers and offerings in temples.
But in the elite marketing and communication industry as well.

Every script starts with - We see a cool young dude.......
All TVCs have  girls,  with roles just a little more than an extra or a prop.
Creating visual eye candy for the ad and the viewer.
All strategic briefs segment men.
Most pen pictures are about Rahul Sharma from Lucknow.

Yet we see a quantum leap in the way Indian girls are evolving.
The consumption patterns, buying behaviour, attitude to life.
Indian wives and mothers being key decision makers- from Kelloggs to Cars and Insurance.

Little girls can be as cute as little boys.
And not just in soap ads.
Little girls grow up into young women, with a career or great homemakers, a mind of their own and fairly independent.
Women who will be active brand endorsers of cars, mobile phones,  laptops, confectionery and not just doting mothers nourishing their family.

The Oreo TVC with the father- daughter, Birla SunLife Child Plan TVC with the daughter and father conversation on jobs nahin passion, Nokia's "Epic Drama Shoes"    are examples of the male bastion being nudged aside to make room for the new spenders and endorsers. But there room for more.

The Indian woman has come of age.
She is the new brand protagonist.
And not just a feature in an additional  ad or a multiple ad campaign.
It is time the industry recognised this.