MAM
All pride, no prejudice, or just marketing metrics?
MUMBAI: As June’s rainbow wave floods timelines, store shelves and corporate logos alike, a sharper question emerges: are brands and agencies walking the talk on LGBTQ+ inclusion, or just flashing their colours for clicks?
A quick glance across campaigns, policies and creative briefs shows a spectrum—from genuine transformation to performative wokeness. And some of India’s most visible brand voices are ready to call it like it is.
From “We support Pride” to “We don’t know sh!t”
Vanaja Pillai, President, 22feet Tribal Worldwide & Head – Inclusion & Impact, Omnicom Advertising Group India, leads with candour. “We believe real change happens when people can show up with curiosity, ask questions, and listen without fear,” she says. Their internal campaign ‘We Don’t Know Sh!t’ ditches moral high ground for messy, human conversations—and Pride is just one point in a year-round learning curve.
This year, their Pride initiative is themed ‘Words Build Worlds’, a linguistic lens on how inclusive language can shift narratives and erase bias. Events like Queerically Speaking, Postcards from Pride and even a queer stand-up showcase underscore that allyship doesn’t need a corporate brief—it needs honesty and a mic.
Beauty with backbone
At Joy Personal Care, CMO Poulomi Roy doesn’t just market moisturiser. “Inclusivity isn’t seasonal. It’s a mindset,” she says. The brand has walked the walk with a campaign starring Sushant Divgikar—not as a Pride-month gimmick, but as part of a consistent narrative.
They’ve distributed over 100,000 personal care kits to transgender individuals and sex workers, not under CSR, but baked into their brand DNA. “Representation is not a checkbox for us,” Roy insists. And it shows. From acid attack survivors to plus-sized models, their campaigns are as inclusive behind the scenes as they are on screen.
Her advice to the industry? “Tokenism is easy. But real impact comes when brands shift the lens from visibility to lived experience.”
Strategy with substance
Sonica Aron, founder of Marching Sheep, believes intent is everything. “Pride isn’t about logos in rainbow hues, it’s about policies, partnerships, and presence—every single day.”
She sees progress in brands that ditch the June-only visibility playbook. “The best campaigns come from rooms where queer folks are not just featured, but decision-makers. That’s when messaging hits home,” says Aron.
For Aron, real inclusion also looks like safe workplaces, inclusive benefits, and storytelling that avoids the tired tropes. “Less punchline, more person,” she sums up.
Campaigns with commitment
Over at White Rivers Media, senior vice president, business strategy & growth, Mitchelle Rozario Jansen sees the shift. “There’s a rise in year-round brand commitment—beyond just posting a rainbow flag,” she says. The agency now partners directly with queer creators to ensure campaigns don’t just represent, but resonate.
While not every brand is there yet, she’s optimistic. “Today, queer characters aren’t just shown as ‘different’ or comic relief. More stories are about them as people, parents, co-workers and friends. And that’s the real shift.”
What does the data actually say?
The numbers don’t lie, especially when it comes to Gen Z. “Younger consumers back brands that back values,” says Roy. “Inclusion drives deeper emotional connections and loyalty that goes beyond seasonal sales.”
Small audiences? Maybe. But the engagement? “Genuine. Vocal. Long-lasting,” she comments.
Social Panga founder Gaurav Arora, believes the brands that walk the talk are cashing in where it counts: loyalty, love, and repeat purchases.
Surveys show 68 per cent of Gen Z and 55 per cent of millennials stick with brands that demonstrate genuine LGBTQ+ inclusion. Companies that offer inclusive benefits, pronoun options, and support queer employee groups have seen a 12–15 per cent jump in repeat business. That’s not just goodwill—it’s growth.
Inside the evolution of allyship
“Allyship is now the baseline,” says Arora. “These young consumers expect to see queer inclusion across HR, campaigns, partnerships—even product design.”
He further says that many brands are stepping up. Gone are the days of token rainbow logos in June. Today’s leaders are offering gender-neutral product lines, non-discrimination clauses, and year-round collaborations with LGBTQ+ organisations. They’re co-creating content with queer voices, embedding representation in hiring and storytelling, and hosting real conversations—not just reels.
Meanwhile, rainbow-washing is getting called out fast. “Seasonal ads with no follow-through? Bright in June, forgotten by July,” Arora concludes.
So, are Indian brands truly embracing inclusivity—or still riding the rainbow wave? It’s a bit of both. The glitter is still there, but the groundwork is growing. When campaigns move from optics to action, when hiring shifts from compliance to culture, and when queer stories are told with nuance, not novelty, that’s when the real change happens.
Until then, the rainbow will remain both a symbol and a litmus test.
MAM
Lessons from global media markets on building enduring content franchises
Rose Audio Visuals COO and CFO Mitesh Patel.
MUMBAI: The global media landscape has undergone a fundamental shift. Success today is no longer defined by a single hit show. It is defined by the ability to build intellectual property (IP) that travels, evolves, and compounds over time.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this shift is central to how we think about content pitching and creation. We are no longer in the business of just making shows. We are in the business of building IP ecosystems.
From Hits to Franchises
Globally, the most successful content is designed to extend beyond its first outing. It travels across: Seasons, Platforms (TV → OTT → Digital), Formats (series → spin-offs) Shows like Stranger Things and Money Heist are not just successful series they are multi-layered franchises with global recall, fan engagement, and long-term monetisation. The key learning is simple: If content cannot scale beyond one season or one platform, it remains a project not a franchise.
Local Stories, Global Impact
One of the most powerful global trends is the rise of culturally rooted storytelling. Platforms today reward local authenticity combined with universal emotion. Stories that are deeply regional are no longer limited by geography they are amplified by it. Consider the global impact of Squid Game or India’s own Sacred Games. The takeaway is clear: The more authentic the story, the greater its potential to travel if the emotion resonates universally.
Monetisation Begins After the First Window
A critical global learning is that the true value of content is not realised at launch, it is realised over time.
Strong franchises unlock multiple revenue streams: Licensing, International remakes, Brand integrations, Digital extensions , Events and immersive experiences
Global players like The Walt Disney Company have mastered this approach, turning content into long-term ecosystems that extend far beyond the screen.
The first window is just the beginning. The real value lies in what follows.
At Rose Audio Visuals, we increasingly evaluate projects not just on commissioning value, but on their long-term franchise potential.
The Rise of Creator-Led Franchises
An important global shift is the emergence of creator-led IP ecosystems.
Creators today are not just content producers they are building full-scale franchises across platforms, formats, and businesses.
A powerful example is MrBeast. What started as YouTube videos has evolved into: Multiple content formats, Global audience scale , Brand extensions and businesses, High-impact experiential content This is a fundamentally different model digital-first, audience-owned, and infinitely scalable.
This model is still in its early stages in Indian but it represents a massive opportunity.
The next wave of Indian content franchises may not come from traditional studios alone but from creators who think like media companies.
Balancing Data with Creative Instinct
Streaming platforms today are deeply data-driven. Data helps Identify emerging genres, Predict audience behaviour , Inform commissioning decisions However, global experience shows that data alone does not create hits. Data informs scale, but storytelling creates impact.
Talent is the Foundation of Franchises
Enduring franchises are rarely accidental they are built through long-term creative partnerships. Globally, there is a clear focus on nurturing Actors, Writter, Show runner and director. Franchises are not built on scripts alone they are built on creators. This is an area where we continue to invest deeply building long-term relationships with talent rather than project-based collaborations.
Multi-Platform Thinking from Day One
Content consumption today is inherently multi-platform. A successful show must be designed not just for its primary platform, but for: Short-form extensions, Social media amplification, Digital-first engagement. Every show today needs a second life beyond its original format.
India: A Market at an Inflection Point
India today stands at a unique moment in its content journey.
We are seeing significant opportunity in Regional markets (Telugu, Tamil, Marathi and others) Emerging formats such as micro-dramas, Scalable, franchise-driven fiction IP
India does not lack stories. What we have historically lacked is structured franchise thinking something that is now beginning to evolve.
The Way Forward
The biggest lesson from global markets is this: The future belongs to companies that do not chase hits, but systematically build franchises. Because while hits may deliver immediate success, franchises create long-term value, recall, and compounding growth.
At Rose Audio Visuals, this belief shapes how we develop, greenlight, and scale content across platforms.
For content companies today, the question is no longer “Will this show work?” It is: “Can this become a franchise?”
A Personal Note
Having worked across content, business, and strategy, one thing has become increasingly clear to me, the most valuable companies in our industry will not be those that create the most content, but those that create content that endures.
Building a franchise requires patience, conviction, and a long-term lens something that the industry is only now beginning to fully embrace.As we continue this journey at Rose Audio Visuals, our focus remains simple: to move from volume-driven creation to value-driven storytelling. Because in the end, stories may start conversations but franchises build legacies.
