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At this year’s Cannes Lions Festival, amid yacht parties, award-laden press rooms, and the heady scent of possibility in the Mediterranean air, something more grounded, more powerful was unfolding at Hotel Martinez. The inaugural WIN Lounge by the global not-for-profit Women Inspiring Network (WIN) brought together 50 C-suite leaders from 20 countries for a day of dialogue, mentorship, and celebration. But when Anupama Ramaswamy, Joint Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer at Havas India, took the stage, the room leaned in. Having recently concluded Havas India’s Gold Lion's—the country’s first in 2025—powerful "Ink of Democracy" campaign, she was there to lead a conversation on the theme Culture is Capital – The New Frontier of Creative Influence—and to remind the world that the most impactful advertising today isn’t algorithmic, it’s anthropological.

The shift: From persuasion to participation

For Ramaswamy and fellow creative anthropologists like Meera Sharath Chandra (Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer at Tigress Tigress), culture doesn't just lend context; it’s the canvas. Take the "Ink of Democracy" campaign, where Havas India flipped a sobering statistic—that over 7,500 litres of voting ink went unused in the 2019 general elections—into a civic rallying cry. The front page of The Times of India was printed in deep violet ink, urging urban voters not to waste their vote. Consequently, a staggering 642 million people voted in 2024—30 million more than the previous general election. The campaign didn’t scold. It simply mirrored a moment of collective apathy and invited people to re-engage. “We flipped the lens not by preaching,” says Ramaswamy, “but by quietly telling them a truth about the past election.”

The story now

“There’s a deeper shift happening,” adds Chandra. “Creative professionals today need to walk in the shoes of their audience and dig deep to find the right emotional triggers, cultural hot buttons, and shared vulnerabilities. Assumptions won’t cut it.” Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all storytelling. Today’s leading creatives are stepping into the role of cultural anthropologists—listening in on dinner table conversations, decoding emojis, walking through bazaars, observing TikTok comment sections. They’re tuning in to the everyday emotional frequencies that traditional research often misses. As Chandra puts it, “Without cultural grounding, even the most beautiful campaign will fall flat.”

Culture as a compass

The most successful campaigns aren’t just strategic—they’re sensitive. They reflect lived experience with empathy and nuance. Ramaswamy recalls a moment during research when she asked 70 people about mosquito repellents and only four responded—new mothers. That moment cracked open a powerful insight: for new parents, protection was personal, emotional, even paranoid. The result? Mortein – New Paranoid Mom, featuring Preity Zinta, became a celebration of maternal instincts, rather than a lesson in insect control. Similarly, Chandra reimagined a global auto brand’s strategy by moving the spotlight to women—not just as drivers, but as independent, informed buyers. In another case, Ramaswamy redefined the language of femininity in Veet’s "Smoothest Way to Sexy" campaign, shifting the narrative from flawlessness to fearlessness—celebrating confidence, comfort, and sisterhood over societal beauty standards.

When brands start to listen 

“Brands are no longer built by marketers alone,” says Chandra. “They’re being co-created by the audience. Their loyalty now depends on how well a brand listens and leans in.” In an age of information overload, the brand that truly pays attention—to language, rituals, dreams, discomforts—is the one that breaks through the clutter. These campaigns aren’t just exercises in creativity; they’re acts of care. As WIN Founder Stuti Jalan noted during the panel, “Anupama is setting the benchmark for Indian women leaders—reshaping storytelling through the lens of cultural anthropology. But we need more Indian women to step up, and many more voices to cheer them on.” Because when culture leads, creativity follows. And when creativity leads with empathy, it doesn’t just sell—it stays. As Ramaswamy said, “When you honour lived experiences, your work stops being a campaign. It becomes something people carry with them.”

 

Lead Image: Team Content & Curation, Women Inspiring Network

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