Women-first agency Nine Yards Communications Consultancy launches art show ‘She Matters’

You have been in the Brand and Communications profession for over two decades. How did the idea of starting Nine Yards germinate?

Heetal: After spending close to two decades working across various communication and design agencies, both Shweta and I felt that there was something very intrinsic that was missing in the way traditional agencies approach brand building. Indian women are evolving at a rapid rate. Across urban as well as small town India, 80-85 per cent of all buying decisions are either made or influenced by women. With every passing day, their buying power is only increasing. Women are wired very differently – not only emotionally and psychologically but also ‘shopologically’. It is therefore, imperative for marketers to see their brands through the lens of a woman in order to be future ready.

And yet, the way brands speak to women is largely riddled with stereotypes and uni-dimensional stories. Both Shweta and I felt the need to break out and create a fresher, more inclusive language for brands to resonate with their female audiences. This gave birth to Nine Yards.

Where did you two cross paths?

Shweta: Heetal and I both graduated from Sophia Polytechnic. While we met in college, our friendship developed much later as we grew into our roles as women in leadership positions juggling work, family and our own personal ambitions as artists and designers. We often bonded over our common grounds against the way traditional agencies segregated briefs based on gender. Over many 'wine-and-whine' sessions, we decided to break out of hoping the world will change to making the change ourselves.

Tell us about the exhibition 'She Matters'.

Heetal: Over the last two years, Nine Yards has come to be associated with our unique brand of nuanced and deep storytelling in the women’s space. One of the outcomes of this is our own IP ‘She Matters’, where we populate women-centric content and stories through various channels. For both Shweta and I, art and design have always been very strong tools to tell our stories. This gave birth to our first art showcase “She Matters”. At this showcase, we have created 20 original paintings to take you deeper into the emotional, mental and cultural landscape of today’s Indian woman. Through colour, texture and form, every story is a journey of conflict between the way ‘She’ is viewed through the lens of tradition, stereotypes and societal influences, and how ‘She’ really views herself.   

From where did you draw inspiration for the artwork? 

Shweta: Our work is inspired by our own journeys and that of every woman we know. Each canvas is a unique story nuanced by the ever-evolving image of today’s Indian woman. For this showcase, we dip into the various shades of beauty, resilience, glory and grit that are hallmarks of the feminine spirit. Through our art, we wish to exhibit the cultural, social and economic shifts that are inevitably changing the fabric of not just women but of our entire nation.

How is this exhibition adding up to your ‘woman’ narrative?

Heetal: At Nine Yards, we are passionate about creating fresher, more inclusive narratives that resonate with today’s diverse, ever-evolving woman. After successfully launching various brand campaigns and design projects that understand and speak to the woman of today, we are layering this deep understanding with insightful and conceptual stories through the language of art. This art showcase covers the various emotions and landscapes of a woman’s world, seen through an internal as well as an external gaze. This initiative is just one more rendition of the space that we already live in and own, exhibiting the depth and nuancing that is required while connecting with female audiences.

International Women's Day is approaching; we would like to know your thoughts on this year's theme – DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.

Shweta: The theme – DigitALL aims to address the digital gender gap and the impact it has on social and economic inequalities. Also, from what I hear, it intends to protect the right of women in the digital world. I believe, this is the need of the hour and a change that was long coming.

It is imperative to include more women in digital technology, as it will bring about a new wave of creative thinking and innovation that will address women’s needs. It will also make the digital story more inclusive and therefore relevant.

As co-founders of a communications company, what is your opinion on the low number of women in the boardroom? What’s your recommendation to achieve better gender parity?

Heetal: This has been a concern for decades. However, the fact that we are having this conversation itself is a testament that this concern is not going unnoticed and every organisation is working towards having women in key positions.

If organisations need to retain talented women, they will need to become more empathetic and supportive at challenging stages like early motherhood, which is when many women drop off from the workforce.

Shweta adds:I am very optimistic and believe that this narrative is changing and is slowly but surely shifting towards equal representation. Today, many organisations have given young mothers the option of Flexi hours or provided them with a reliable creche around. This allows them to return to work stress-free and do their job well. Most women, when given the right support at key stages of their lives, go on to take leadership roles and eventually make it to the boardrooms.

The exhibition will be on from March 4-6, 2023, at Snowball Studios, Worli.