MUMBAI: On the second day of Goafest 2025 an important cultural lens was applied in the session ‘Mardon Wali Baat: A discussion on Masculinity in Advertising’, presented by Knowledge Partner – ASCI. The panel comprising Karthi Marshan, Principal at Marshan.Ink Kotak, and Nisha Singhania, Co-Founder and Director at Infectious Advertising, was moderated by Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The panel unpacked evolving portrayals of masculinity in Indian advertising, urging a shift away from dated clichés.
Singhania emphasised that masculinity goes beyond physicality, encompassing emotional complexity and vulnerability. She critiqued the recurring trope of men as ‘a work in progress’ who need to be ‘fixed’ through marriage, calling it reductive and obsolete. ‘India is changing,’ she said, ‘and so are its men. Legacy brands need to stop leaning on old data and start investing in new, nuanced narratives.’
Marshan meanwhile argued that the masculinity-versus-feminism debate is a false binary, advocating for a move beyond rigid labels. He challenged the belief that brand-building requires long-term investment, stating, ‘Disruption grabs attention, and attention drives engagement—regardless of who you target.’ He also called out marketers for underestimating their audiences, noting that viewers are often more progressive than advertisers assume.
Together, the panel called for a more honest, layered, and culturally relevant approach to masculinity in advertising—one that reflects the evolving Indian male and breaks free from outdated gender scripts.
