Ahead of festive season, advertising campaigns find ways to be inclusive, undo prevalent biases

An ongoing Mia Tanishq advertisement campaign features Riza Reji, 24, who is set to be the first Indian woman to participate at an international fundraiser fashion show the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (GLOBAL) in Denver, USA. Making it as a final has helped Riza feature in the Mia Tanishq campaign, where she models the brand’s gold jewellery.
Sampurna Rakshit, marketing head for Mia Tanishq, says that the campaign, timed ahead of Diwali, is themed around the celebration of the diversity of each individual. “Riza is a trained dancer and a model interest and seemed like a natural choice who could provide a glow up to a modern brand like Mia. She was confident, self assured and raring to go. Her sense of style and aesthetics were also in line with the brand,” she says.

In the ad film, which launched last week, Riza is among seven people, chosen from different fields and specialities, including rapper Dee MC, art Queen Andro, and fashion influencer Sakshi Sindwani.
Riza Reji (Courtesy: Anitha Reji)
“I like simple jewellery,” she says, adding that learning how to smile for the campaign was a bit challenging. Even so, “it was fun, I was happy for that,” she adds. Riza’s mother, Anitha Reji, says that as parents to an individual who has Down syndrome, they educate themselves extensively using online resources. She and her husband, Reji Waheed, realised that Riza’s passions lay in dance and theatre. “We had to find and keep track of her interests. We have to encourage children without thinking that academics are all that matter. Everybody is different,” Anitha says.
When it comes to inclusivity and representation, the Indian advertising landscape has seen brands compete with each other in recent years. Ahead of the festive and wedding season, advertising campaigns find newer ways to undo prevalent biases and nod to some of society’s most marginalised groups and this year may be no different. Many brands have moved away from stereotypes in recent years, and have presented storylines that are obviously meant to break storylines.
Earlier this year, an advertisement Bhima Jewellery was themed around a trans-person and the acceptance they find in their family. What made the advertisement different is that it was for bridal jewellery, something that would be conventionally be targeted at a cis-het woman. In this advertisement, Meera Singhania, who identifies as a trans-woman in real life, plays the protagon. Navya Suhas, Online Operations Head of BHIMA Jewellers Trivandrum, had told The News Minute: “The reason for choosing this cause is, even though there is so much talk of gender equality between men and women, the trans community is often neglected from this debate. Which is why when we were putting the brand ad together. We were clear we needed to do something relevant in today’s society for the trans community.”
A still from the Bhima Jewellery advertisement.
Earlier this year, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the industry regulator, updated its advertising code for greater inclusivity in all brand communications through ads. ASCI had already prevented advertisements from derisive statements on the basis of race, caste, creed, gender, or nationality but new updates include a broader range.

Advertising firms and brands have been more cognisant of sociocultural shortcomings and topics such as body positivity, interfaith marriages, women’s rights and gender equality. These advertisements seek to not only comply with ASCI’s rules but also go the extra mile.
Yet, not all strategies succeed. In 2020, a Diwali season advertisement Tanishq, which showed a ba shower organised for the Hindu bride her Muslim in-laws, met with outrage from right-wing social media users, who accused it of “love jihad”. The brand eventually withdrew the advertisement.
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