The International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter is set to host the second edition of its ‘Voice of Change’ summit on Gender Sensitisation in Media on November 9, 2023 in Mumbai.
While the previous edition highlighted gender portrayal in advertising, the 2023 Summit will unveil findings of a 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), with the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory (SAIL) at the University of Southern California (USC) as the academic advisor, and IAA as media studies advisor.
IAA will bring together creative powerhouses and industry stalwarts to put the spotlight on how to effectively ‘Break the Bias’ together, informed an official statement.
“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,” it added.
The Presenting Sponsor is Google India, Knowledge Partner is UNICEF and Associate Partner is TVS Raider.
Speakers expected at the second edition include Anuradha Sengupta, Aparna Purohit, Dia Mirza, Gaurav Banerjee, Khushbu Sundar, Manasi Salvi, Mansha Tandon, Neha Barjatya, Prasad Sangameshwaran, Raj Kamble, Renzil D’Silva, Sameer Nair and Sumukhi Suresh.
Avinash Pandey, President, IAA India Chapter, said, “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 sensitise 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.”
Megha Tata, Co-Chair, IAA Women Empowerment Committee and Immediate Past President, IAA India Chapter, 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.”
Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Chairperson, IAA Women Empowerment Committee, 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 ‘Voice of Change’ journey began in partnership with UNICEF with a 2021 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
IAA further expanded its footprint to conduct pan-India interventions at the grassroot level for being the ‘Voice of Change’. This includes a series of multi-city roundtables in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai in creative agencies like Leo Burnett, Havas, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and RK Swamy, and a panel discussion at Goafest 2023.
Additionally half-day summits in Hyderabad and Chennai saw participation from policy makers like the Governor of Telangana Tamilisai Soundarajan and Shikha Goel, IPS (Head Telangana Police’s Women Safety Wing) as well as industry voices like the Madras Management Association, actor Sidhharth and Miss India 2020, Manasa Varanasi.
The day-long event will feature debates, discussions and dialogues, for policymakers, advertisers, brand custodians, content creators, communication specialists and students to recognise their power in driving balanced and inclusive portrayals of gender roles in media for enduring change, the IAA statement explained.
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