Mumbai: Following the ground-breaking inaugural summit in 2022, the International Advertising Association (IAA), India chapter is now set to host the second edition of the ‘Voice of Change’ movement on gender sensitisation in Media, on 9 November, 2023 at Four Seasons Hotel, Worli, Mumbai. Augmenting the purpose of gender-sensitive advertising and communicating positive gender norms in media, across all types of short-form and long-form content, IAA will bring together creative powerhouses and industry stalwarts to put the spotlight on how to effectively ‘Break the Bias’ together. While the previous edition highlighted gender portrayal in advertising, the 2023 Summit will unveil the findings of the first-of-its-kind Google AI-powered research study on demographic representation in scripted Indian television, led jointly by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (GDI), the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory (SAIL) at the University of Southern California (USC) as the academic advisor, and the IAA as media studies advisor.
Committed to a tangible, evidence-based change for positive gender portrayals across the media spectrum, the 2023 edition is all set to continue to build the momentum, sustain and develop the dialogue in favour of right benchmarks for gender equitable portrayals on screen. With presenting event sponsor Google India, the Geena Davis institute on Gender in Media, Knowledge Partner UNICEF and Associate Partner TVS Raider, the summit will elevate the resolution to an all-embracing perspective on all content formats, across all multiple platforms available to today’s consumer. The event will also witness the felicitation of Gender Warriors, visionaries who inspire the world with their extraordinary dedication to the cause, despite all odds. The second edition is expected to be graced by industry powerhouses, like Khushbu Sundar, Dia Mirza, Sameer Nair, Aparna Purohit, Renzil D’Silva, Manasi Salvi, Raj Kamble, Sumukhi Suresh, Anuradha Sengupta, Mansha Tandon, Neha Barjatya, Gaurav Banerjee, Prasad Sangameshwaran, and more creative leaders to further galvanise the movement.
IAA India Chapter president Avinash Pandey commented, “As the foremost industry body, we at IAA, are proud to champion the cause of gender-sensitive and inclusive communication across all platforms. The Voice of Change movement was established as a definitive forum to sensitize and educate stakeholders on inclusive gender depiction in media. Additionally, we have conducted country-wide summits, workshops and conferences that reinforce our commitment. As we return this year, we are honoured to have the support of eminent personalities who believe in the cause, and rally with us as agents of change.”
At the anvil of the second edition of ‘Voice of Change’ summit, IAA Women Empowerment Committee co-chair and IAA India Chapter Immediate Past president Megha Tata said "IAA spearheaded the need for collective change for equitable and culture-sensitive gender portrayals across all media forms. We are proud to be at the forefront of this imperative conversation, as we bring together industry leaders to inspire this much-needed change. We’re thankful to Google India, UNICEF, and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, for being our partners in this endeavour.”
IAA Women Empowerment Committee chairperson Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “In today’s world, we must recognise our role as co-creators of narratives that actively challenge stereotypes. With the latest edition of the ‘Voice of Change’ initiative, we aim to drive a collective cultural shift, dismantle biases, and empower all stakeholders to make way for a steady revolution of gender-equitable advertising and content creation. It’s time our content begins to reflect the progress and aspirations of an inclusive society.”
The journey that began in partnership with UNICEF with the 2021 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, was the genesis of the dynamic endeavour, the ‘Voice of Change’ movement. The inaugural summit saw trailblazers like award-winning actor Vidya Balan; Poonam Mahajan, MP North Central Mumbai; Santosh Desai, MD FutureBrands Consulting; Zainab Patel, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Pernod Ricard; Deepika Warrier, CMO, Diageo and more, engage in revelatory discussions. IAA has further expanded its footprint to conduct pan-India interventions at the grassroot level, for reinforcing the message of being the ‘Voice of Change’. This includes a series of multi-city roundtables in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in leading creative agencies like Leo Burnett, Havas, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and RK Swamy, and a panel discussion at the most popular industry event Goafest 2023. Additionally half-day summits in Hyderabad and Chennai saw participation from policymakers like the Governor of Telangana – Tamilisai Soundarajan and Shikha Goel, IPS – head Telangana Police’s Women Safety Wing as well as renowned industry voices like the Madras Management Association, actor Sidhharth and Manasa Varanasi - Miss India 2020.
Ranging from advertisements and short-form videos to full-length movies and more, across multiple platforms, the effort aims to create a collective paradigm shift. A game-changing catalyst, the second edition of IAA: Voice of Change summit is set to be an inspiring day of debates, discussions, and dialogues, for policymakers, advertisers, brand custodians, content creators, communication specialists, students, to recognise their power in driving balanced and inclusive portrayals of gender roles in media for enduring change.
