MAM
HUL survey: Only 38% women in India get to define their identity themselves
NEW DELHI: HUL’s beauty brand Glow & Lovely has unveiled the findings of the recently conducted ‘Identity Survey’ which revealed that only 38 per cent Indian women actually get to define their identity on their own terms. The survey was conducted with the aim to understand the thoughts and concerns that Indian women have in relation to their identity which has laid the ground for the brand’s narrative of #IChooseMyGlow and the ‘Glow Ko Na Roko’ campaign.
‘Glow’ reflects the personality and individuality of every woman, who focuses on pursuing her dreams and is a celebration of the inner confidence she radiates. This is reflective of a more inclusive form of positive beauty that complements their need to have the choices to define their identity. This was the starting point for the research that delved deep into how a woman’s self is defined and what hurdles are faced while embracing it.
Some of the highlights of the report are as follows:-
66 per cent women would compromise their identity for the sake of others
There has been a paradigm shift in the 21st century, with women being vocal participants in society instead of passive observers. However, majority of Indian women would still not think twice before putting others’ needs before them. They would knowingly compromise their identity for their family, partners or society if required.
Society (36.4 per cent) is the biggest roadblock for women
While women in India would like to make their own decisions, they have been conditioned to listen to others. Society (36.4 per cent), family (31.4 per cent) and partners (18.2 per cent) are major hurdles that keep women from choosing their own identity. It will require the support of society to encourage women to embark on the journey of choosing their own identity.
93 per cent women feel a girl’s identity is as important as a boy’s
There has been an apparent shift when it comes to conversations around gender and equality. Women feel that female and male identity are equally important; however, they still hold back in certain instances. This is corroborated by the Identity Survey finding above that 66 per cent women would compromise their identity for their family, partner or society if required.
Women’s freedom to make their own choices depends on certain key factors
Women’s ability to exercise their will is directly linked to female happiness (21.7 per cent), confidence (18.1 per cent) and respect (12.7 per cent). Traditionally, women have single-handedly shouldered the responsibility of home as well as professional life. However, one has always taken precedence over the other. Making their own choices has always been synonymous with a feeling of guilt. Today’s woman does not link this feeling of guilt when it comes to choosing her own identity. A woman’s freedom to choose her own identity brings her positivity and a sense of dignity. This freedom of choice is directly linked to her happiness and confidence.
HUL executive director – beauty and personal care (BPC) Priya Nair said, “We’ve been driving the evolution of Fair & Lovely for several years to progressively move to a more inclusive vision of beauty. With the introduction of Glow & Lovely, we are very excited about this new chapter in the brand’s journey that celebrates every woman’s ‘glow’. Extensive research showed us that ‘glow’ resonates with our consumers as one of the best articulations of what the product does, while also reflecting the personality and individuality of the woman of today. Glow then become the starting point for the ‘Identity Survey’, which aimed to find out the definition of female identity in India.”
“The narrative #IChooseMyGlow and GlowKoNaRoko campaign upholds the principle and our belief that no correlation should be made between skin tone and a person’s achievement, potential, beauty or worth and that a woman’s identity should be defined by her. We hope that the true meaning of ‘glow’ and this narrative will resonate strongly with women across the country,” she further added.
Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist Varkha Chulani said the results of the Identity Survey – which pointed out that majority of women (in metros and non-metros) are yet to understand that identity is simply a meaning of ‘self’ without association to any ‘other’ – is an eyeopener.
“Female identity in India has rarely been a conversation. It is well known that even today, identity of many women is defined by their parents, relationships, with society being the biggest challenge when it comes to defining their self. It is critical that we normalize conversations around female identity to give them the freedom to make their choices and harness their true potential,” she said.
The campaign #GlowKoNaRoko and the narrative #IChooseMyGlow is also in conformity with the brand’s purpose of promoting women empowerment through the GAL Careers. GAL Careers is a companion to women who want to make a mark and define their unique journeys with confidence and self-belief. It plays a key role in helping young women access employability skills through scholarships, career guidance, training courses and job opportunity listings.
GAL careers has so far reached 1.25 million women across South Asia and Indonesia.
#IChooseMyGlow is in line with HUL’s recent announcement of the next step in the evolution of its skin care portfolio while rebranding its flagship brand Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely. As a part of a decade-long transformation towards a more inclusive form of positive beauty, words such as ‘fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightening’ and terms or visuals that could indicate a fairness-led transformation are no longer included on the product packaging and brand communication.
Research Methodology:
The research, conducted by Toluna India, surveyed women in the age group of 18-45 years across both metros and non-metros. The survey was rolled out digitally and involved a series of multiple-choice questions.
MAM
Madison World to launch AI platform M BrAIn for media planning
Agency group invests about $1 million as it shifts to AI driven growth planning.
MUMBAI: If media planning once ran on spreadsheets and gut instinct, the next chapter may run on algorithms and curiosity. Madison World is preparing to roll out the first version of its proprietary artificial intelligence platform Madison M BrAIn in early April, as the independent agency group accelerates its transition toward AI driven planning and product led media services.
The platform, expected to involve an investment of around $1 million, is designed to reshape how the agency approaches strategy by combining internal knowledge, external data sources and advanced AI models into a single intelligence ecosystem.
According to Madison Media, OOH and Hiveminds partner and group CEO Ajit Varghese the initiative forms part of a larger structural rethink within the organisation. “Traditionally agencies built frameworks around media planning and allocation. We are redesigning that structure into what we call a Growth Planning System (GPS),” Varghese said.
The shift reflects a growing belief that effective media strategy must begin earlier in the decision making process. Instead of jumping directly to channel allocation, planners must first decode the market itself identifying consumer barriers, purchase triggers and the core challenges facing a brand.
Once those insights are mapped, agencies can build clearer growth agendas for clients and design media strategies that connect more closely with business outcomes.
To support that approach, Madison has built Madison M BrAIn as what it describes as a human AI cognitive ecosystem. Acting as a central intelligence hub, the platform aggregates proprietary insights alongside external data sources and large language models, enabling planners to access deeper market intelligence before building campaign strategies.
Varghese said one of the core objectives is to democratise knowledge across the organisation. “In the past, this level of understanding was largely available to senior leaders or experienced strategists. With Madison M BrAIn, even a junior planner should be able to access the same intelligence and approach clients with a far more informed perspective,” he said.
The agency has already implemented the new planning philosophy internally and completed three months of testing for the AI platform, with early trials showing encouraging results in terms of learning capability and system performance.
While the first version relied on global large language models, Madison is now developing its own proprietary Small Language Model (SLM) to serve as the core of the M BrAIn ecosystem.
“The SLM will be able to read global LLMs, but the LLMs cannot read the SLM,” Varghese explained. “That ensures all the intelligence we build remains within the Madison ecosystem and strengthens our proprietary knowledge base.”
The first version of Madison M BrAIn is expected to go live in early April, with a more refined version targeted by the end of June. Over time, the platform will integrate additional external data streams and APIs including consumer insight platforms, social listening tools and client datasets.
These integrations are expected to enhance the system’s learning capability and enable it to generate increasingly sophisticated strategic recommendations.
Although the platform is currently being deployed for internal use, Madison sees potential for it to evolve into a licensable product in the future.
“At the moment, our focus is to stabilise and strengthen M BrAIn internally. But over time there is potential for this to become a product that could be licensed externally,” Varghese said.
The AI platform is also part of a wider technology transformation underway at the agency group. Alongside M BrAIn, Madison is building a broader digital infrastructure called the Catalyst operating system, which aims to integrate operational processes, data and product platforms into a unified ecosystem.
This broader technology stack could require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million investment over time, though spending will be phased and reviewed regularly.
“We are evaluating progress every three months and prioritising the most critical capabilities first,” Varghese said.
Madison expects the full AI and operating ecosystem to be fully functional within 12 to 18 months, positioning the agency to combine human strategy with machine intelligence as the advertising industry enters its next data driven phase.
