Men in ads need more nuanced portrayal

THE DEPICTION OF MEN IN ADVERTISING AND FILMS HAS BECOME A SUBJECT OF GREAT DEBATE

- Shuchi Bansal

Brands, riding on Father's Day celebrations last Sunday, launched their print and digital campaigns to capitalize on emotions linked to the occasion to influence customers. Companies, across categories, that released special communication marking Father's Day included SBI Life, Instamart, Niva Bupa Health Insurance, Myntra, De Beers and Zomato among others.

The Zomato campaign stood out for its storytelling and collaboration with other leading digital brands, said communications strategy consultant Karthik Srinivasan. While Zomato, Blinkit and District are part of the same company, other apps which collaborated on the ad included Urban Company, Uber and Spotify. Its quintessential message was that "Appa" (dad) works harder than all these apps put together as he repairs home appliances, sings lullabies and transports his child on his two-wheeler. "The caring father evokes the sentiment that before you used apps to do things, there was only "Appa," Srinivasan said.