MAM
Population First launches Awards for Gender Sensitivity; signs MoU with Colors
MUMBAI: Population First, the communication and advocacy initiative working towards gender sensitivity, today launched the 8th edition of the Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (LMAAGS) 2015-16 in partnership with Colors These awards recognize and celebrate the efforts of the media and advertising community to promote gender sensitivity in India.
The MoU signed with Colors as the exclusive Cause Partners is in keeping with the channel’s vision to highlight a woman’s strength and gumption in the society-at-large. The last date for receiving entries is 15th December 2016, and the awards will be announced soon thereafter.
Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “Gender equality and empowerment are tangible issues faced by the Indian population today. As we steadily move towards adopting Western cultural themes, there is a section of the media and advertising industry that is working diligently towards rehabilitation of various strata in our society.”
According to Population First director Dr. A. L.Sharada, “From a mere 100 entries in 2007 to more than 1500 entries in 2015, Laadli Media Awards have come a long way in acknowledging the media’s contribution in women empowerment and gender issues. The increasing volume of discussion in public domain on gender issues is an indication that we are witnessing the beginnings of change.”
The Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity have been instituted to acknowledge, highlight and celebrate the commendable efforts undertaken by Print and Electronic media (TV, Radio and Web) and Advertising Agencies, to promote gender sensitivity as an integral part of their work.
Criteria for Eligibility:
An entry to the Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity should emphasize or highlight one or more of the following:
• Analyze policies, programs and laws from a gender perspective
• Highlight influence of gender perceptions on the functioning of police, judiciary, administrators and other service providers in the implementation of laws and programs
• Challenge gender stereo-types by focusing on men and women who are redefining their gender equations e.g. changing work participation patterns of men and women, changing work distribution at home between men and women, etc.
• Analyze the social, religious and economic factors that promote gender inequality and gender violence
• Report on current events from a gender perspective e.g.: disasters, communal riots, elections, sports events, etc.
• Create awareness about pre-birth sex selection and other acts of gender discrimination and violence
• Interpret research and other reports/documents from a gender perspective e.g. census, economic survey, budgets etc.
• Voice the experiences of survivors of gender violence
Entries Are Invited from:
1) Advertising: Single Advertisements and Campaigns for Print/ TV /Radio /OOH/ Digital/ Direct Mail under the categories of Services, Products and Public Services
Categories:
Single Advertisements and Campaigns (Though entries are invited at Regional level the Awards are given at National level)
2) Print Media:From journalists writing for Newspapers and Periodicals in the individual category and Media Houses undertaking media campaigns on gender issues in the group category
Categories:
• Journalism – Print– News Reports, Features, Investigative Stories, Editorials, Op-Eds, Columns and Campaigns
• Journalism – Electronic– News Reports, Features, Investigative Reporting, Documentaries, Topical or Issue Based Programs and Campaigns
3) Electronic Media:
TV and Radio: From TV Channels and Radio Stations (including Community and University Radio, Radio Plays, etc.)
Web: E-Magazines, Blogs, Features, Social Media Campaigns
Entry Requirements:
• All entries should have been published/ displayed/ broadcast or telecast between July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016
• All entries (except from freelancers and from those applying under the web category) must include a declaration from the Editor/ Direct Supervisor or commissioning organization
• Multiple entries in more than one category are allowed
• All entries to be sent on laadlimediaawards@gmail.com
Languages and States:
Northern Region: English, Hindi, Urdu & Punjabi (Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand)
Southern Region: English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam (Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana)
Eastern Region: English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Assamese and Oriya (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and West Bengal)
Western Region: English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and Marathi. (Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan)
The winners will be chosen by a jury comprising of eminent personalities both from the media and social sector. All the entries should be original and comply with copyright requirements and have been published/ displayed/ broadcast or telecast between July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The last date for receipt of entries is 15thDecember 2016.
The Laadli Media Awards were instituted in March 2007 as a Mumbai centric event and were subsequently taken to the National level with the support of the UNFPA.
Laadli,a term of endearment meaning ‘cherished daughter’ in Hindi, is a campaign by Population First, a Mumbai-based NGO is a communications and advocacy initiative for a balanced, planned and stable population. Laadli is a comprehensive communication campaign aiming to promote a positive image of women and girls in society by changing the stereotypical mindsets that undervalue women. Laadli Campaign works with communities, colleges and media towards breaking gender barriers and bringing about gender equality in society. Laadli media advocacy includes a number of activities viz., Media fellowships, gender sensitization workshops for working and student journalists, interactive sessions with Creative Directors of TV Channels, Ad analysis with advertising professionals.
For detailed Guidelines and Entry Form please log on to www.populationfirst.org
Brands
GUEST COLUMN: Beyond layoffs, India emerges as creative-tech hub
Shift in hiring and AI-led workflows is reshaping global media and marketing
MUMBAI:The global narrative around layoffs in media and technology may suggest contraction, but a deeper transformation is reshaping how creative and tech capabilities are built and deployed. For Sanjil Zaveri, general manager – India at Brandtech+, this shift is less about decline and more about redistribution, one that is positioning India at the centre of a new global operating model. In this piece, Zaveri explores how integrated workflows, AI-powered production, and evolving talent demands are redefining the creative-tech ecosystem, why India is emerging as a strategic hub for global content and innovation, and what this means for the future of media, marketing, and talent.
The global headlines around layoffs in technology and media continue to dominate industry conversations. From platform restructuring to reduced marketing spends, the narrative suggests a slowdown across the creative and digital ecosystem.
But beneath these headlines, a different shift is underway, one that is quietly redefining how creative and technology work is delivered globally.
Hiring is not disappearing; it is being redistributed. And India is increasingly at the centre of this transition.
A structural shift in the creative-tech ecosystem
The media and marketing landscape is undergoing a fundamental reset. Brands today are moving away from fragmented agency models and siloed teams toward more integrated, agile structures.
Creative, technology, and media are no longer operating in isolation. Campaigns are now built through connected workflows, where ideation, production, and optimisation happen simultaneously.
This shift is forcing organisations to rethink where and how teams are built. Increasingly, the focus is on capability, speed, and scalability, rather than geography alone.
India’s emergence as a creative-tech hub
India’s role in this evolving ecosystem has expanded significantly.
Traditionally positioned as a backend execution market, India is now playing a far more central role in global campaign delivery. Teams based here contribute not just to production, but also to strategy, content development, and performance optimisation.
This is particularly relevant in a market where content velocity has increased dramatically. With the rise of digital platforms, OTT, and always-on marketing, brands require high volumes of creative assets without compromising on quality.
Industry insights from Ernst & Young point to India’s growing strength as a global content hub, while NASSCOM continues to highlight the scale and depth of the country’s digital talent pool. Together, these factors create a compelling case for India as a foundation for more efficient, integrated content ecosystems serving global markets.
A global company’s perspective on India
At Brandtech+, this shift is already shaping how we operate.
As a global organisation working across creative, marketing, and technology, our talent strategy is increasingly driven by capability rather than location. India has therefore become a key market for both scale and strategic talent.
In the first quarter of this year, we have significantly accelerated hiring in India across creative, technology, and operations roles, moving well ahead of plan and continuing to build strong momentum. We are actively hiring across multiple functions, with India playing a central role in delivering integrated creativetech solutions for global brands.
These signals reflect a broader change in how global companies view India, not as a delivery centre, but as a hub for connected creative, data, and technology capabilities.
“While much of the global narrative is centred on contraction, what we are seeing in India is a different kind of growth,” says Sanjil Zaveri. “As a global company, we are investing in talent that can work across creative, data, and technology, because that is where the future of marketing is headed.”
AI and the new content economy
Artificial intelligence is playing a critical role in enabling this transformation.
In today’s media environment, the demand for content has scaled exponentially. Brands are expected to create, adapt, and optimise creative assets across multiple platforms in real time. The scale of this demand would be difficult to sustain through traditional production models alone.
AI is helping make this possible.
Rather than replacing roles, AI is streamlining workflows, automating repetitive tasks, accelerating production timelines, and enabling faster experimentation. This allows creative and strategy teams to focus on higher-value outputs.
“AI removes the mundane and elevates the meaningful,” says Zaveri. “It allows teams to focus on ideas and storytelling, while technology drives efficiency.”
For media platforms and advertisers, this is redefining how campaigns are built, moving from linear production cycles to continuous, data-driven content creation.
What this means for media talent
For professionals across media, advertising, and digital, this shift is redefining skill requirements.
The traditional boundaries between creative, media planning, and technology are blurring. Content creators are expected to understand performance metrics. Media professionals are working more closely with data, platforms, and automation. Collaboration across disciplines is becoming a core skill.
This is creating demand for hybrid talent, professionals who can operate across disciplines and adapt to rapidly changing workflows.
India’s talent ecosystem is particularly well suited to this environment. With strong capabilities across content, design, engineering, and analytics, the market offers a unique combination of scale and versatility.
Importantly, global exposure is no longer tied to relocation. Professionals in India are increasingly working on international brands and campaigns, collaborating with teams across markets in real time.
Looking ahead: India at the centre of the reset
What we are witnessing today is not a temporary phase; it is a structural reset in the global creative-tech ecosystem.
Layoffs may continue to shape short-term narratives, but they do not capture where long-term growth is being built. That growth lies in new operating models, integrated workflows, and markets that can deliver both scale and innovation.
India is firmly at the centre of this transformation.
As global media and marketing organisations continue to evolve, India’s role will only become more critical, not as a support market, but as a strategic hub for content, creativity, and technology-led innovation.
The future of creative-tech will be defined by collaboration, speed, and adaptability. And increasingly, it will be shaped from India.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
