How Indian advertising can become caste-conscious

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, largely for defensible business reasons.But caste is conspicuous by its absence in Indian advertising. Even though Indians are witness to caste every day, it remains a no-go area for marketers, given the complexity of the topic and the likely political and online backlash. It doesn’t help that decision-making power remains concentrated among savarna elites.

As a result, we portray a modern India (or Bharat) without social hierarchy, when most of the labour economy, from domestic work and delivery to sanitation, gig labour, construction and farming, remains caste structured. You only need to notice the difference between how an Urban Company masseuse is perceived and how an Urban Company bathroom cleaner is treated. Or ask why domestic workers in many homes are still asked to drink from separate cups.This is not merely a representational blind spot; it is a business risk.

Marketplaces like Blinkit, Zomato, Swiggy and Urban Company rely on trust from both workers and consumers to grow. When the dignity projected in advertising sits at odds with workers’ lived experiences, credibility diminishes across the platform. Advertising cannot indefinitely mask the inequalities that workers endure, and consumers increasingly see.For marketers keen to explore caste, there are persuasive ways forward, without stepping on landmines.