The most used theme in ads this women’s day: MOVE

• This International Women’s Day, Bumble, Levi’s, Shell India, Adidas and Groww celebrated sisterhood and solidarity.
• We couldn’t help but notice how all of the above mentioned brands used the word ‘move’ in their ads.

This women’s day, our inbox was flooded with all kinds of ads! Some simply offered a special discount to women (thanks, no thanks) and some took a genuine interest in finding out about women from across the country and convert their stories into small ads. Every year, the International Women’s Day on March 08 brings an opportunity for brands to shine a spotlight on a few underrepresented groups and this year, brands did not disappoint! They beautifully showed women conquering patriarchy, breaking various stereotypes associated with beauty and body types, celebrated a few women who have made it in male-dominated industries or simply raised a toast to female companionship.

However, we couldn’t help but notice that ‘move’ was one of the most common words used this year. Five brands this year talked about solidarity, sisterhood and how one woman breaking the glass ceiling and pursuing her dreams sets a ripple effect by inspiring a group of women to ‘move along.’ They celebrated women who take charge and reminded them to keep moving like they do.

Levi’s ad titled ‘When you take a step, we all move’ is an ode to the collective movement of women who are moving ahead with strength and shaping a massive cultural change. The film features brand ambassador Deepika Padukone alongside diverse women from everyday walks-of-life dreaming, believing, and taking the step with confidence to live their next big thing. As each woman finds confidence and comfort in expressing their fearless pursuits, it inspires people around her to join in and move with her. So, ‘Moving forward’ and encouraging others to keep moving along seemed to be the theme this year.

Bumble’s ‘All Our Moves’ campaign celebrates and champions all the courageous moves women in India make everyday – the seemingly unnoticed, imperfect, vulnerable and yet audacious, sometimes outrageous, but ultimately courageous first moves. The moves that women themselves will always keep a count of. These everyday first moves may not always go down in history but they take us a step forward in building an inclusive, equal society.

International energy company, Shell India’s Women’s Day campaign is titled ‘Great Things Happen When We Move.’ It is a campaign about women who have displayed courage and motivation to realise their ambitions by doing one simple thing - moving forward. It encourages Indian women to keep moving by highlighting the stories of three inspiring women: Yogita Raghuvanshi, India’s first woman truck driver, Geeta Tandon Bollywood’s leading stuntwoman, and Sumitra Senapaty, founder of Women on Wanderlust. The core assertion of these films is to establish that mobility is a key enabler of people’s progress and it holds specifically true for women.



Groww’s #OneStepCloser reminds us how ‘when one woman moves forward, more women move forward. It talks about bridging the gender-based wealth gap in the world by encouraging women to invest in themselves and in their future.

Adidas’ Watch Us Move campaign is also a celebration of womanhood and freedom of movement. Through 'Watch Us Move', the brand celebrates the positive movement of women who are spreading an infectious aura of rebellious optimism. It reminds how sport is beyond caste, socio-economic status, physical and psychological barriers.


So this women’s day, as Finding Nemo’s Dory would say, just keep moving!