About time, some would say. Globally there is a handful of all-women agencies that are challenging the status quo and male-dominated bastions of advertising. Now, it’s India’s turn. Ladyfinger, an all-women agency launched by Rediffusion Brand Solutions aims to provide gender-balance in advertising and creative excellence. Ladyfinger’s goal is to question the status quo, shatter stereotypes and make a positive impact in the Indian advertising landscape. The agency’s vision revolves around raising the voices and perspectives of women and empowering them through the lens of inclusivity, progressive mindset and creativity. For veteran advertising executive, Tista Sen, who quit Wunderman Thompson earlier this year after over two decades, starting Ladyfinger was a long-cherished dream.
Sen is looking to tap into an influential cohort of professionals, a talented panel of women advisors with multifaceted experiences in media, branding, architecture, law and Bollywood, among other areas, to design and create effective communication strategies that resonate with today’s consumer. Its services include strategic planning communication, insight mining, policy and content development across all media platforms. The firm’s USP, Sen tells us, is its all-women workforce and passion to create a better gender balance in advertising and branding. Read on to find out more about the agency and the lady who runs it.
When was the first time you thought about setting up your firm and did you always imagine it to be designed as a female-focused ad company?
This is a thought that has been bouncing in my head for a while, and when the opportunity presented itself to do something about it early this year, I grabbed it with both hands. I was tired of the one size fits all approach to most communication.
Why do you think we need a firm such as this? What are the gaps you see in the market that your new venture can fill?
Data suggests that a large part of household spending budgets these days is entrusted to women. A survey I saw recently talks about 58 percent advertising in India being targeted at women specifically, with only 35 percent targeted at both genders. And to top it all, the survey found that 76 percent of the female consumers believe that the portrayal of women in advertising is generally out of touch with reality. These facts in many ways validated my own thoughts about the gender imbalance in Indian advertising. I see a huge opportunity here because I genuinely believe that correcting the gender imbalance will only increase brand salience and increased business for the brand. When you get your insight right and talk to real women in an authentic manner, you are unlocking a new future for the business.
Correcting the gender imbalance will only increase brand salience and increased business for the brand.
What’s your plan of action for the next 6 months? How are you going about building your business and hiring for it?
We already have a couple of clients on board and I’m looking to do interesting brand/project work for them. I also want to create ideas for women across genres. That’s why my panel apart from advertising luminaries has an architect, a Bollywood producer and even a lawyer. Progress can only be achieved when anything and everything is geared towards it. Not just brand communication.
The Ladyfinger panel of women advisors include Juhi Chaturvedi, Bollywood movie writer; Srishti Behl CEO Phantom Films; Malvika Mehra, Independent creative director; Nonita Kalra, Editor in chief Tata Cliq Luxury, Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder Elephant Design; Nirmika Singh, Executive Editor Rolling Stone India; Bindu Sethi, Strategic Brand Consultant; Geeta Rao, Ex Beauty and Health Director Vogue; Sakshi Choudhary, Founder Indian Creative Women; Alyna Haji Omar, Founder Audacity Sri Lanka, Communication Strategist Editor Co. and Sheetal Kumar, High Court Lawyer.
Do you have any partners and external funding?
I am so grateful that I have found in Dr. Sandeep Goyal, who has funded this venture, He has always been encouraging and suggested me to stop worrying about what next. Tanya Goyal who is the Chairperson has given me perspective during our conversations and helped me identify how to walk the talk.
When you get your insight right and talk to real women in an authentic manner, you are unlocking a new future for the business.
What sort of work will you look for and take on? Do you have a client profile in mind? Who would you like to work with?
Apart from the obvious beauty and personal care brands, I want to take up anything that women are already a part of but it is not being spoken about. Finance, real estate, banking, automobiles anything where women play a huge role but nobody puts us centre stage. I’m also very keen to work on design projects. There’s an amazing book called Invisible Women which talks about how biased design has been and what can change. I am also interested in Policy, and HR; I want to be the voice when it comes to women and their lives.
Are there any precedents and examples in other markets you are looking at?
There are female focussed agencies in the UK and the US. While the medium could be digital, traditional or e-commerce the underlying core is the same everywhere. Women need to be spoken to in a different voice from what brands use and we need nuanced and sharp thinking to ferret out what’s tokenism and build on the real and authentic.
Women need to be spoken to in a different voice from what brands use and we need nuanced and sharp thinking to ferret out what’s tokenism and build on the real and authentic.
Do you think that Indian advertising (both on the agency and clients side) are male bastions?
From the results of the survey I quoted above, it is quite clear that Indian advertising is much more male-focused than it should be. With more and more women occupying centre stage, the household decision making process, needs a new advertising narrative that will do a world of good for everyone concerned, the agencies, the brands and most importantly the female consumer. As for advertising agencies, I think it is an everyday reality that most of them are run by men. Whether by design or by accident, it is a fact that only a handful of women have been able to break through the glass ceiling to occupy the senior most leadership roles. It is hugely refreshing to see increasingly more women on the client’s side. Every evolved CMO and CEO knows that having a seat at the table isn’t enough, the seat needs a voice and decisive action. Unfortunately not all agencies seem to be there yet.
How have clients responded to your new direction and venture?
I have spoken to some and the response has been very encouraging. It’s a conversation they already have with their agencies. At the end of the day it comes down to sharp thinking and relevant empathetic communication.
What challenges do you foresee in building and growing your work and brand as a female-focused firm?
I see the first shrug and the quizzical why? My answer has been why not? Why no men? it’s because women need their catch-up time. Female focused is really doing what’s right for the TG. It eventually is creative excellence but the belief is that the right communication will generate more business for brands.
It is an everyday reality that most agencies are run by men. Whether by design or by accident, it is a fact that only a handful of women have been able to break through the glass ceiling to occupy the senior most leadership roles.
Tell us about the learnings from your agency experience at Wunderman Thompson (JWT) that you will carry with you and learnings you will certainly discard?
JWT is a legacy and an institution. It has been a platform from where we have been trained to be thinking responsible advertising professionals. What I want to do away with is really an industry culture of grind and pitch and work keeping the bottom line in sight, rather than the consumer.
Where do you see yourself in 12 months-time?
I would love to do a political campaign for women leaders. Currently there seems to be one voice for all. And gender issues are part of every politicians’ repertoire. If women can win on the basis of genuine change and be the new voice for India that would be a brand I would love to be associated with.
This article’s headline and content has been updated to reflect the fact that Ladyfinger is not the first all-women, female focused advertising agencies in the country. An independent communications consultancy called Nine Yards Communications was set up by Heetal Dattani and Shweta Iyer in 2020. We regret the error.