Abstract:

India has been a latecomer to the sexual revolution. It is only now that society and brands are having to acknowledge and respond to the Indian woman's demand for sexual equality and everything that comes with it. This paper discusses implications and imperatives for brands as the Indian woman emerges from her long imposed metaphorical purdah and claims her rightful identity. We compare the brave new emerging movement to what happened in the West, drawing contrasts and comparisons, the differing triggers and the impact on the outcomes. We use a combination of expert interviews, decoding of popular culture (past and present), including advertising, and provide a point of view of what brands need to do to stay relevant to women. We briefly examine the impact this has on men as well.