By Jayatri Dasgupta
India’s advertising and marketing landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift. Women are breaking century-old stereotypes to lead conversations, reshape how brands engage, and bring gender equity to the forefront of communication. In rural and semi-urban Bharat, women are no longer just consumers or passive audience members; they are emerging as powerful storytellers, co-creating brand journeys that reflect their lived experiences, values and aspirations.
According to the Nielsen IQ 2024 Report, women influence 70–80% of all household purchase decisions, making them key players in shaping consumption behaviour. And they increasingly want to see themselves portrayed not just as caregivers but as entrepreneurs, change-makers, and individuals navigating complex roles.
How Brands Are Targeting Women
Effective storytelling today is rooted in trust and relatability. In Bharat’s heartlands, where decisions are often driven by community consensus, women engage most with brands that reflect their world. Traditional celebrity-led campaigns, while attention-grabbing, often feel aspirational but disconnected. The lived realities here involve balancing work, family, and financial decisions in environments where access and awareness are still evolving.
What resonates instead is empathy—messaging that guides, not instructs; voices that mirror her own. Particularly in sectors like financial services, healthcare, and e-commerce, culturally anchored storytelling is bridging the trust gap. Campaigns have evolved from being purely transactional to increasingly conversational and it’s these dialogues that create lasting emotional connections and loyalty.
The Role Of Familiar Women Faces
This rise in women-led storytelling signals a broader cultural shift, where authenticity, relevance, and trust have become the new currencies of engagement. Brands that listen, rather than instruct, build long-term affinity.
A key trend is the use of familiar female personalities—women from regional TV, local cinema, or even community digital creators. These are not just public figures but trusted, relatable voices. A woman in Bharat is far more likely to act on financial or health advice from someone who resembles her neighbour than from a celebrity far removed from her context.
Language matters too. Brands that use vernacular content and regional dialects do more than communicate; they connect. Their message doesn’t just land; it is believed.
(The author is the CMO at PayNearby and Program Director, Digital Naari)
