Women's Day 2024 ads that went beyond cliché

International Women's Day is celebrated every March 8 to commemorate the contributions of women. Sadly for ad watchers, it's also the time of the year when opportunism reigns supreme. Brands come out of the woodwork, vying for the attention of one of their biggest and most important cohorts. 

If the overt commercialisation of the occasion wasn’t enough, it’s de rigeur for brands to crank out “empowering ads” with a “strong social message” that ultimately aim to improve their image and drive sales.

Beyond the tokenism and the performative activism of the occasion, some campaigns stand out in terms of creativity, impact and sincerity. This year, we found a few such ad films that managed to impress by going beyond cliches. 

Biba

Indian apparel brand Biba’s Women’s Day campaign features cricketer Renuka Singh Thakur who boldly stands as a foil to society’s ridiculous expectations of women. The film draws compelling parallels between the challenges faced by a woman cricketer and modern Indian women. Defying the usual taunts and superficial comments made about women, Thakur smashes the boundaries imposed on her by society.

Goibibo

For Indian women, travelling independently sans prejudice is a privilege even in 2024. They are trapped in gilded cages of judgement, a concept that travel company Goibibo put at the heart of its Women’s Day campaign, #BreakTheCage. While it took a rather literal approach by having the actor walk around with a real cage around her head, the brand succeeded in creating impact with its irreverent tone and bold approach.  

Duroflex

Mattress company Duroflex launched a campaign #SleepFirstHealthFirst with a combined message for Women’s Day as well as World Sleep Day on March 15. The campaign highlights a rather well-known yet overlooked problem in Indian society where women feel guilty for going to bed early before their family members do. The film sheds light on the silent struggles of women in maintaining sleep hygiene, which is a cornerstone of good health.

NueGo

Travel platform NueGo addressed the various “baggage” that women travellers are forced to lug around. These mental burdens such as safety and hygiene issues can either slow them down or discourage women from travelling altogether. The #UnloadYourWorries campaign by the travel platform addresses these common concerns presented as baggage. 

Tata Tea

Women often have to sacrifice their passions in favour of their domestic and professional lives. Tata Tea’s Women’s Day film is centred on the “Aur” (more) in the Hindi word “Aurat” (woman), urging them to take up their vocations without being limited by the demands of their professional lives without the fear of judgement.

 Tetley Tea

Tetley Green Tea breaks down the superficial notions of fitness, freeing it from its skin-deep connotations. The ad stokes conversations around the unflattering nicknames women often earn based on their body types. The #everybodycan campaign is an attempt to free women from these nicknames and to redefine society's understanding of what fitness truly means.

Urban Company

One of the most impactful films this year for Women’s Day is Urban Company’s take on the dignity of labour and the hierarchical nature in which occupations are judged in India. One of the most popular services on the platform is massage, which has many therapeutic values; however, female masseuses are often looked down upon and their work is equated with sex work. The ad instils a sense of dignity in the work that female masseuses do, bringing pain relief and comfort to their clients.

vivo

vivo's latest digital campaign, ‘The Seat – Celebration of Women in STEM’ was born out of the insight that in India the most number of enrollments in STEM education, but the conversion of women who actually get into the workstream after that is just 17%. The film shows the metaphorical journey of women, finding their way into premier institutions of STEM by carrying their own "seats."