New Delhi, Jan. 4 -- I spent years in Silicon Valley through the post-George Floyd surge in DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts, and then witnessed its very public retreat earlier in 2025. The year 2025 may be remembered as the point in history when corporate efforts in the US were visibly rolled back, with its impact seen in representation in advertising.

America became markedly more cautious in how race and gender appeared in mainstream advertising. But its approach has had limited impact on India. Most of our focus continues to be on safer areas, such as gender, specifically women's empowerment. Ads depicting lower socio-economic groups, disability, ageing, non-model bodies, and darker skin tones have gained traction, largel...