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Many LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people feel unsafe in their personal and professional lives, reveals a new survey of almost 500 women and non-binary people in India. 


The research, by Kantar, in partnership with DIVA Charitable Trust and The Curve Foundation, found that public transport is particularly worrying for many, where 27% feel unsafe or only somewhat safe. Concern about online spaces is also common with 25% saying they feel unsafe or only somewhat safe on social media, and 58% have witnessed abuse. 17% said they feel unsafe or only somewhat safe at work or their place of education, and 18% don't feel safe in their own neighbourhoods.


In the workplace, 33% report witnessing or experiencing verbal or physical abuse because of their or someone else’s sexual orientation, up from 19% in 2024. The most common experiences are verbal abuse and unwanted comments (48%) and being misgendered (42%). Being excluded from activities and events is also common at work, cited by 41% of those who have had negative experiences. In addition, many feel LGBTQIA+ women are excluded from conversations around workplace inclusion, with 72% saying LGBTQIA+ networks and development opportunities are very male dominated.


Parenting under pressure


The study also explores the specific challenges and experiences of LGBTQIA+ parents. A majority (76%) think most people in their country believe that LGBTQIA+ couples are equally capable parents as cisgender, heterosexual couples. Despite this, almost a third (28%) say it’s hard to be an LGBTQIA+ parent where they live. 


Commenting on the findings, Caroline Frankum, Chair, Profiles division and Executive Sponsor, Pride ERG, Kantar, said: “Promisingly, the research points to familial acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people growing over time. About a quarter of respondents told us they would not have felt comfortable discussing gender identity with their parents or guardians growing up. But now, over two thirds think their children would be supported by their extended families if they came out as gay, lesbian or bisexual.” 


The commercial argument for inclusion

Worldwide, 371 million people identify as LGBTQIA+, representing $3.9 trillion in buying power annually. And globally four out five (78%) LGBTQIA+ people say it’s important that the brands they buy from actively promote diversity and inclusion. Yet in the past year, one third of respondents have felt unrepresented by adverts for products they use, highlighting a lack of visibility and inclusion of the community in brands’ communications. 



Local perspectives


The research outlines the different experiences and challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people in the four countries surveyed:


India – Seeking support to navigate a challenging environment: 87% of respondents said their ability to access different routes to becoming parents, such as adoption, IVF or surrogacy, differs significantly from that of their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. Furthermore, only 7% of LGBTQIA+ parents in the study identified as single; compared with 25% on average, suggesting romantic partnership is a crucial survival mechanism for LGBTQIA+ individuals. 


South Africa – Financial strain and heightened safety concerns: A significant number of LGBTQIA+ individuals feel unsafe even in their own neighbourhoods, with more than a quarter (27%) expressing this concern. Economic inequality is also particularly acute for the community, with almost half (47%) having difficulty affording the things they need or want.


UK - Section 28’s legacy looms: When asked whether they recall sexual orientation and gender identity being formally discussed in school, more than half of UK respondents said that these topics were not addressed. In addition, 60% of LGBTQIA+ parents had no LGBTQIA+ role models growing up: the highest of the four markets surveyed.


USA – Political upheaval takes its toll: The US stands out among the four markets for having the highest rate of legally married LGBTQIA+ parents (63%). That said, a third don’t feel they have the same legal rights as other families, reflecting the recent political upheavals facing the community.


Mridul Shekhar, India HR Head - Kantar Analytics & Vice chair, Inclusion & Diversity Steercom - APAC, Kantar, commented: “Many LGBTQIA+ women in India are being let down by their communities, workplaces and businesses, and living their lives in fear. The increase in reported verbal and physical abuse in workplaces underscores the need for comprehensive policies and training to ensure a safe and respectful environment for LGBTQIA+ employees. These findings underscore the urgent need for organizations to create safer and more inclusive environments for everyone.”


Nancy Kelley, Executive Director, DIVA Charitable Trust, said: “LGBTQIA+ rights are under accelerating attack around the world. Visibility has become not just about representation, but about survival. Ensuring that our experiences are seen and heard is critical to pushing back against erasure and defending our rights. As always, understanding the challenges we face in workplaces, media, and public life, helps us advocate for meaningful change.”

LGBTQIA+ consumers demand diversity, feel unseen in ads: Kantar

Television broadcasters across various genres have expressed disappointment over the advertising volumes during this year's festive season, stretching from Navratri to Diwali. According to TAM AdEx advertising report, the total TV ad volumes for the festive period from October 3 to November 1, 2024, saw a 9 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2023, which ran from October 15 to November 13. 

The drop has dampened expectations for broadcasters who were hoping for a stronger performance during this traditionally high-spending period. In fact, the count of categories and advertiser too decreased by 8 and 9 per cent respectively in October 3 to October 8, 2024 over October 15 to October 20, 2023. The total number of advertisers in 2023 period was 2,646 while it was 2,606 in 2024. Similarly, the total number of categories fell from 390 in 2023 to 368 in 2024.

Two wheelers, shampoos, paints and moisturising lotion/creams were new entrants among the top 10 categories this year. However, six out of top 10 categories were present during Navratri period of both years. These categories are toilet soaps, washing powder/liquids, toilet/floor cleaners, toothpastes, ecomm media/entertainment/social media and retail outlet - jewellers.

When it comes to Radio, ad volumes have grown by 8 per cent. The count of advertiser too increased by 4 per cent, from 3,071 in 2023 to 3,182 in 2024. However, the count of categories have declined from 324 in 2023 to 303 in 2024. Cellular phones-smart phones and retail outlets-departmental stores were not present among the top 10 categories while eight out of top 10 categories were present during Navratri period of both years. 

For print, ad volumes dropped by 4 per cent with the count of categories and advertiser decreased by 7 and 5 per cent, respectively. The number of categories and advertisers both decreased from 580 to 537 and 36,117 to 34,286, respectively. Two wheelers topped the list of top 10 categories in both the year. Interestingly, nine out of top 10 categories were present during Navratri period of both years. Branded jewellery in 2024 and readymade garments in 2023 being the distinct category. 

The ad insertions for digital medium rose by 22 per cent from 2023 to 2024. In addition to this, the count of advertiser increased by 21 per cent, while count of categories grew by 2 per cent. To be specific, the count of categories in 2023 was 31,029 which increased to 37,492 in 2024 and when it comes to the number of advertisers, it grew from 510 to 519 in 2024. 

Furthermore, seven out of the top 10 categories were present during both the periods with top category, ecom-online shopping, retaining its position. 

2024 festive season sees mixed ad trends with TV adex fall, digital adex surge: TAM Report

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) International on Wednesday launched WBD AIM (Audience Insights and Measurement), a first-party data platform that enables advertisers to target their campaigns across a number of markets throughout EMEA, APAC and LatAm spanning across CNN, Max, discovery+ and Eurosport. 

 
According to the company, the data platform aims to broaden WBD’s audience targeting capabilities from across the portfolio and touchpoints, ranging from registration and behaviour to intent and purchase. 

According to industry reports, enhanced targeting and contextual capabilities backed by deeper audience insights would improve CTV with 86% of consumers saying that personalised experience increases their brand loyalty.

 
The AIM technology, originally built and launched by CNN International Commercial in 2015, has been optimised for CNN’s global clients. WBD AIM has been launched internationally with brands in UK and Ireland including Adidas, British Airways and Lavazza.

“WBD AIM allows us to navigate these complexities and tailor content and marketing efforts with precision across multiple touchpoints, as has been seen through CNN International’s use of the AIM technologies to date. With Warner Bros. Discovery’s vast portfolio of brands, franchises and touchpoints, with everything from streaming to shopping, Wheeler Dealers to the Wizarding World and 90 Day Fiancé to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, we have a unique ability to gain deep understanding of audiences across the most diversified portfolio in the industry and bring this to brands and advertisers, whilst ensuring the best possible ad experience for our consumers," Mike Rich, Head of Ad Sales and Brand Partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery Global & UK&I said.

 
Rob Bradley, SVP, Digital Revenue, Strategy and Operations, CNN International Commercial said: “The launch of WBD AIM marks the next generation of a continually evolving platform that is now expanded across much of the WBD universe with added local expertise. It enables brands to access the unique data touch points we have across our unsurpassed portfolio".

Warner Bros Discovery International launches WBD AIM data platform for advertisers

Netflix said it closed major Upfront advertisement deals for several films and series including Squid Game, Wednesday, Happy Gilmore 2, Outer Banks, Ginny & Georgia, and Love is Blind, and live events including WWE Raw and Christmas Day NFL games. 

The OTT platform said it secured multiple international on-screen title sponsors including Pure Leaf, Amazon Audible, Puig, Booking.com, Stella Artois, and Hilton for Season 3 of Bridgerton.

In August this year, Netflix partnered with LVMH, COTY Gucci, Kaiku Caffee Latte, Aeromexico, Google, and Rakuten for the Emily in Paris series.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/ott-news/beyond-squid-games-netflixs-plans-to-serve-super-fandoms-with-games-38384.htm">Beyond Squid Games: Netflix’s plans to serve super fandoms with games</a>

Netflix is gearing up to launch an in-house ad tech platform which will be tested in Canada in November and launched globally in 2025.

The California-based company said marketers can set up private 1:1 marketplace deals directly with the platform through Trade Desk, Google’s Display & Video 360, or Xandr.


<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/dont-expect-advertising-to-be-a-primary-driver-of-revenue-growth-in-2024-or-2025-netflix-38400.htm">Don’t expect advertising to be a primary driver of revenue growth in 2024 or 2025: Netflix</a>

In the last few weeks, Netflix executed several programmatic campaigns with several advertisers such as Expedia, Ford, T-Mobile, Mercedes-Benz, Novartis, and American Eagle. The programmatic private marketplace buys are currently available in the US, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico.

Further, to create a privacy-safe environment for members and advertisers, Netflix said it partnered with clean room suppliers Snowflake, InfoSum, and LiveRamp.

"Snowflake Data Clean Rooms is available for partners today, and InfoSum and LiveRamp will launch in the coming months," Netflix added.

From Squid Game to Emily in Paris, Netflix lands major ad deals for upcoming films, series

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) confirmed on Wednesday that the Out-of-Home (OOH) agency, rather than the advertisers, will be held responsible in the event of a mishap. BMC’s draft policy includes terms like permit holder, advertiser, and agency to clarify accountability in case of an accident. A senior BMC official told Storyboard18 that in such incidents, the OOH agency is regarded as the offender, not the advertiser.

Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Commissioner (Special) of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, told Storyboard18, “The hoarding applicant will be responsible for any mishap. BMC does not deal with advertisers; we deal with OOH agencies when granting permissions to erect hoardings, etc.”

Further elaborating, Dighavkar said, “An advertiser deals with the OOH agency and not with BMC. For example, if there is an OOH campaign for Dabur or Bisleri, and we find any irregularities, the OOH agency will be responsible for the incident, not the advertisers.”

Dighavkar added, “There is no way that the advertiser will be penalized in the case of a mishap or will be held responsible.”

A senior BMC official said, “When it comes to registering an offense against the defaulter in the event of an accident, the complaint is filed against the OOH agency, not the advertiser. It is the responsibility of the agency to follow all the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure there are no accidents or mishaps due to the OOH installation.”

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/bmc-releases-hoarding-policy-includes-stringent-regulations-for-dooh-holds-advertisers-responsible-for-mishaps-39315.htm">BMC releases ad hoarding policy; Revises SOPs, specifies liability</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/bmcs-new-ooh-advertising-policy-could-do-more-harm-than-good-fear-stakeholders-37646.htm">Read more: BMC's new OOH advertising policy could do more harm than good, fear stakeholders</a>

EXCLUSIVE: BMC clarifies, OOH agencies and not advertisers responsible in case of ad-hoarding mishaps

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the way Indians consume cricket. The 2023 edition of the T20 tournament has witnessed a disruptive digital leap like never before, democratising the experience. This throws up a lot of important questions: What are the implications for advertisers and media planners? What are the winning strategies for brands leveraging the big surge? How are brands using the cricket juggernaut to reach audiences far and wide?

This year democratisation of the IPL has led to unparalleled reach, engagement and business impact from the vantage of a marketer, given the anticipation and excitement around the IPL, especially with the draw of it being a truly digital IPL.

Jaya Jamrani, VP, Marketing, Castrol, an automotive lubricant company thinks the IPL is the largest aggregator in India. “The whole country comes together and everyone has IPL on their minds and on screens. What IPL does is it allows you to create content that consumers are actively watching. It is not passive content. This year the reach is different because of digital and the fact that Jio has made it free,”she says.


IPL advertising has allowed Castrol to quickly create awareness and create impact by integrating the brand message - #CompromiseMehngaPadega. 

Vishal Chinchankar, CEO, Madison Digital, talks about the mind boggling reach, layers of interactivity and emotions in IPL. Spotlighting the CSK vs RCB match that had 24 million concurrent views on JioCinema, the official streaming partner of Tata IPL, Chinchankar says, “Digital adds a layer of interactivity, lots of immersiveness and from a reach perspective and measurable metrics, it's all up." 

Zoomcar was a first-time IPL advertiser, prompted to hitch its adwagon to the IPL due to its accessibility and flexibility on the digital platform. Naveen Gupta, VP & Countryhead, Zoomcar, says that it felt like the right time to launch an IPL campaign given the brand has been around a decade now. 
“Zoomcar wanted to reach households. IPL as a medium gave an opportunity to reach them.” It was a wow moment for Zoomcar as there was a spike in organic traffic and an opportunity for impressions increasing. The installations also went northward. 

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Amardeep Singh, CEO, Interactive Avenues, says, "IPL has democratised TV for the advertisers. Earlier to advertise on TV you needed huge budgets, but now you don't need huge budgets to advertise on TV." 

He highlights the reach of connected TV, targeting 25-40 million households. CTV advertising performs better as compared to regular ads on mobiles, he says. “You are reaching out to the key segments — cord cutters and cord shavers. You don’t reach cord cutters though regular TV. The advantage of cord shavers is you are able to personalise communication basis region, language, brand priorities which you can’t do through linear TV,” he said.


Relevance of linear TV going forward

Talking about the relevance of linear TV, Gupta says that linear TV will be relevant for mass brands but for a brand that is digital first, CTV is better because it gives that level of personalisation and reach to engage audiences. “It also gives that level for tracking that sometimes is missing from linear. Day-to-day tracking helps to finetune strategies; for mass brands, linear TV still makes sense in the longer run,” he says.

According to Jamrani, a brand marketer needs to follow the consumer at all times in an impactful manner. Castrol started CTV last January for its car brands. “It’s easy to measure and there is less pilferage also,” she says.

But different consumers want different media, so it’s hard to say, she adds.
Sudhir Shukla, COO, More Retail Private Limited, “You need to find what’s right for your TG and business. CTV is doing what HD was doing five years back…which is a proxy for affluent people."

Importance of hyperlocal and regionalisation

“India is so vast. There is an India within India. From seven languages that linear TV offered to 12 languages, it’s a huge democratisation. We never thought of Kiran More speaking Marathi,” says Chinchankar. “That experience has been a great consumer experience, it is adding a lot more in numbers. There is even Punjabi commentary that is giving a lot more numbers. From a language perspective, for one of our brands, we have created 9/10 language ads." 

Jamrani says vernacular gives her a scale at a level as an advertiser that didn’t exist before. Shukla reiterates and says IPL 2018 had many languages for the first time: In 2023 there are more languages than ever. Language democratisation is a very interesting phenomenon.

“With the emergence of mobile and the internet ecosystem peaking in India, you can advertise by language. As a retailer, the ability to personalise the campaign at scale was a wow factor,” he says. 

Digital advertising will grow further as it allows personalisation at scale, says Shukla. Shukla sums up the impact of the digital surge and language leap: "10 years back somebody told me digital would kill TV, and I am still waiting for that moment. TV has grown in the last 10 years, but digital took share from print and outdoor in a very big way. So that is what digital is able to do — personalisation at scale. So I think digital advertising will only grow and languages play an integral part. We in Mumbai or Delhi sometimes tend to underestimate the power of languages, it is identity for people in India. So when IPL is televised in Oriya, the joy that it brings to somebody in Orissa; you will have to talk to them to understand."

IPL on digital fuels rise of connected TV; language streams major wow-moment for advertisers

Parikshit Sharma, 19, is an avid Spotify user whose day starts and ends with listening to music, podcast and audio streams on the platform. Sharma is not a premium user and doesn’t mind consuming ads.

“I don’t mind the ads as long as I’m getting my daily dose of music and podcasts,” claims Sharma.

Sharma is a classic consumer case for a wide variety of brands, including categories such as smartphones, confectionery, dating apps to video streaming platforms that are tapping the Gen Z and millennial consumer base (18-35 years) on audio streaming platforms serving smart customised programmatic ads. To be sure, there’s enough data on how well programmatic advertising works on videos and display though audio is slowly yet steadily pacing up as well.

A joint report by EY FICCI on India’s M&amp;E sector published in March states that the share of programmatic advertising increased from 10 percent of total digital spends in 2017 to 42 percent in 2021.The increased prevalence of programmatic guaranteed amongst publishers, as they can guarantee both price and impressions to advertisers. The digital media segment grew 29 percent to reach Rs 303 billion in 2021 and it is expected to grow further at a CAGR of 20 percent over the next three years to touch Rs 537 billion.

“Programmatic advertising is now extending its remit to sectors like audio OTT, DOOH, etc., and we can expect to see several platforms come into being to serve even traditional platforms like radio and regional television in future,” the report notes.

Headroom for growth

The usage stats clearly indicate key trends as well. The EY FICCI report states that Indians spent 4.7 hours a day on their phones in 2021, aggregating 700 billion hours of consumption (second highest in the world). Around 197 million people streamed music online in 2021 on a monthly basis. However, India was ranked 20th in terms of consumer spend which in turn means enough headroom for advertisers and agencies to convince consumers for making purchase decisions.

Lalatendu Das, CEO, Performics India, Publicis India-owned performance marketing agency, highlights that while reach of audio advertising has grown to a sizeable number (approximately 200 million in India), the advertising spend on audio as a channel remains muted. “Based on our experience, audio gets less than 10 percent share of advertising spend for most of our clients,” he notes.

Das shares that currently there are two kinds of advertisers that are actively leveraging programmatic audio advertising

- Value seekers: CMP (cost per thousand impressions) on audio advertising remains quite attractive (40-50 percent lower than for video). Hence advertisers who have already attained good reach on traditional web, video, etc., are exploring audio as an alternate channel.

- The second category is when an advertisers wishes to promote niche product and placements – newer products – especially with a short shelf-life (such as an upcoming event, sale).

Variety of ad formats

Experts said that audio publishers and streaming platforms offer a variety of ad formats including display, short audio and video ads.

“Shorted audio ads up to 15 seconds on music streaming platforms like Gaana, Saavan, YT have worked for us in the past,” shares Performics India’s Das.

Swedish audio streaming platform Spotify, which entered India in February 2019, offers audio, video, display and proprietary tech which only shows ads when the user is using the screen.

“Our multi-format campaigns drive 40 percent more lift in various brand metrics as compared to just audio ads and that’s what we recommend to our advertiser partners,” says Arjun Kolady, head of sales – Spotify India.

Kolady clarifies that ads on Spotify are served to users based on their state and inputs. “…so if someone’s running using Spotify, they will only be served audio ads because they are not looking at the screen. We have upwards of 90 percent of completion rates across all our formats including audio and video. From the attention point of view, audio has the highest scale and has most moments that one can reach the consumer on but the visual formats drive more action,” he adds.

Mondelez India, for instance, has worked with Spotify. Anil Viswanathan, vice president – marketing, Mondelez India, states that within the company, audio has remained an integral part of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk campaigns with the product having a distinctive audio asset (its ad jingle) associated with it.

“In an effort to go where our consumers are present, for this year's Valentine's Day campaign, we zeroed in on music as a genre to leverage, and in association with Spotify, we created playlists that gave couples a chance to reveal secret messages. With personalisation transitioning from good-to-have to must-have, these audio platforms with their deep tech are able to provide personalisation that is very effective,” says Viswanathan.

Key challenges

Due to the abundance of free audio options, just three million people purchased music subscriptions in 2021, producing Rs 1.6 billion in revenue. FICCI report estimates that at best the paid subscription industry will reach 7 million paid users by 2024 at a maximum effective rate of Rs 1 per day, generating Rs 2.8 billion in subscription revenue. This means that audio streaming platforms will largely be advertising driven.

“Smartphone users in India will cross 500 mil shortly, and MAU (monthly active users) on some of the leading audio platforms are on the rise. However there are still challenges around tracking, effectiveness measurement and attribution when it comes to audio advertising. The space can unlock newer capabilities if the audio platform providers can innovate to solve these problems,” he concludes.

Note to readers: Storyboard18’s new Month In Focus initiative spotlights themes and topics that are pushing marketers to reshape and rethink how brands interact with today’s customers. Our theme for this month is Stacks &amp; Strategies, a martech and adtech spotlight on how decision makers and marketers are advancing the adoption of new technologies and tech-driven strategies in the brand marketing ecosystem. From the defining trends and preparing for a cookiepocalypse to how progressive martech strategies help fast track business and brand growth. Catch this special on Storyboard18.

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