To bring about change, #SearchForChange, says Google's ad

The lived experiences of men and women in India and around the world vary in ways that aren’t discussed widely, but are well known. And yet, every now and then, we see someone ask, question and search for answers and information that bring about change.

Delving deep into the insight of using voice as a catalyst to bring about a change, Google India has recently released an ad, titled ‘Manjha #SearchForChange’.

Released to mark the occasion of International Women's Day, the ad shows that with the Voice Search option on Google, finding what one needs could be just a question away. The ad shows that how there are still certain gender stereotypes that women have to overcome, be it in their families or at their workplace.

The ad builds its narrative by highlighting certain examples that we may have noticed, like gender pay difference, female harassment, being looked down by family members for being a girl, being judged by your landlady on returning back from office late at night, etc. It elaborates on how women have used Google Voice Search to overcome these challenges and stereotypes.

Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the ad uses singer and music director Amit Trivedi’s verses from the famous song ‘Manjha’. The background score has been re-composed for the film. It is directed by Afshan Hussain, and penned by Vasudha Mishra and Mohit Pasricha.

Samit Malkani, head of brand & creative marketing, India & Southeast Asia at Google, posted about the ad on LinkedIn, "... I really don't have words to describe what this piece of work means to me. So, I'm going to just leave it here, with gratitude towards the amazing group of women and allies that came together to build this. More to follow when I've found the words. #SearchForChange."

Google also rolled out another ad, featuring actor Gajraj Rao. It shows how, despite being a cricket-obsessed nation, there is so little information about the women's cricket team.

Earlier, Google released a series of ads, as a part of its campaign #BolneSeSabHoga that promotes the Voice Search feature in Hindi. These ads show how the feature can help one get answers to many issues, or help someone achieve their dreams.

The recent campaign also builds on a similar narrative, while showing women as protagonists.