Anouk's new ad featuring Radhika Apte questions workplace bias towards pregnant women

After the success of its previous short films under the ‘Bold is Beautiful’ campaign, Anouk, the ethnic wear brand from Myntra, is back in the news with its latest digital ad titled ‘The Calling’. The new video deals with the issue of workplace bias towards pregnant women. The film conceptualised by Hectic Content features Bollywood actor Radhika Apte and Shernaz Patel. The film was released on December 4 and kept trending on almost all the social media platforms for its hard hitting message.

Click here to view the new ad:

In tune with the brands previous campaigns which highlighted various stereotypes in our society, the current ad questions the much prevalent workplace bias towards pregnant women.

Click here to view the previous ads:

Commenting on the new ad, Swati Nathani, Business Head, Team Pumpkin said, “The Myntra initiative is a hard hitting reality check for corporate India. It debunks the age old unwritten rule considering pregnant woman less efficient. It just so happens that we at Team Pumpkin have inducted a colleague who is going to be mother in few months and never has her pregnancy come into way of daily work including commute. It is just the bias in corporate India that soon to be mothers are not going to give their 100%. If you have watched US TV series Fargo, you would realise that a pregnant woman can even solve murder mysteries being a police detective or as shown in Myntra video, start a company while enjoying the joy of being a soon to be mother. More power to them.”

Anjanee Gadgil, Senior Social Media Executive, Gozoop cited, “The Myntra - Bold is Beautiful ads are delightful, inspiring and achieve so much in their three-minute duration! What I love the most is that they showcase the woman of today, the woman who bravely adapts to change and continues to stand up for herself. The Calling' brilliantly highlights one of the preconceived ideas people have about working women. I'm sure it strikes a chord with a lot of women across the country. However, my favourite is "The Visit." Even today, social pressures continue to question people if what they're doing is right. The ad beautifully brings out the normal-ness of a gay couple and ultimately, offers hope. I'd love to see more from this campaign.”

Brand strategy:

The brand tries to address a vital issue which every women face when considering maternity. They often have to deal with severe discriminating behaviour from their office as a result of which, they have leave their career in order to concentrate on their personal life.

Speaking on the brand’s strategy, Manish Aggarwal, VP, Marketing, Myntra Fashion Brands, said, “Anouk is for the modern Indian woman of today. Taking the topical short film approach forward, we wanted to communicate the brand message of ‘Bold is Beautiful’ in a non-intrusive manner through a real, slice of life story. ‘The Calling’ is the 4th film in the Bold is Beautiful series that exemplifies how the Indian woman can voice herself, express her identity and craft her own destiny. It is more about individualism then feminism. I'm confident that this film will connect with our audience as it addresses a very real issue that every woman goes through at some point of time.”

Twitter trends:

Twitteratis appreciated the attempt made by Anouk for addressing an issue which is so close to every woman who is expecting a child. According to a free social media tool, Topsy, the hashtag #anoukboldisbeautiful garnered more than 2,000 tweets on Monday.

Below is an excerpt of few conversations on social media:

#anoukboldisbeautiful great attempt at content marketing, love the way Indian Brands are evolving with changing times

— Hitesh Rajwani (@TheDigitalLad) December 7, 2015

If my boss refused my promotion because of pregnancy, I would've quit my job. @AnoukEthnicWear #anoukboldisbeautiful https://t.co/EtlDg9Mmk8

— Priyanka (@PRIYANK_SEO_SMO) December 7, 2015

@MehekMahtani @AnoukEthnicWear Absolutely, Pregnancy is a blessing and not something to hinder a success of a woman #anoukboldisbeautiful

— TravelFreak (@NaziyaSiddique) December 7, 2015

The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it. #anoukboldisbeautiful @anoukethnicwear

— Kirti Basal (@kirtibasal) December 7, 2015