Makani Creatives challenges gender stereotypes with ‘Give Her Space’ campaign for American Tourister

The campaign spotlights the stark contrast in responses to common travel questions as men face questions traditionally posed to women travellers.

In a bid to challenge prevalent gender stereotypes surrounding women travellers in India, Makani Creatives has launched the Give Her Space campaign on the occasion of Women's Day. Addressing the incessant questions faced by women when announcing travel plans, the campaign adopts a unique approach by posing the same queries to men, capturing their unfiltered reactions.

The questions, typically directed at women, include inquiries about solo travel permissions from partners and the practice of sharing location details. The campaign aims to highlight the contrasting experiences of men who, when confronted with these questions, find them futile and uncomfortable. The stark difference in responses underscores the societal biases women often face when it comes to travel decisions.

While the campaign's central theme is to champion the freedom of women travellers, it emphasises that women can handle their travel experiences without unnecessary societal constraints. The campaign rejects outdated rules that attempt to curtail women's independence and discourage solo travel.

The campaign's unique perspective emerged from AI-generated questions commonly faced by both male and female travellers. The unexpected answers prompted the team to initiate a lighthearted yet impactful conversation about gender imbalances in travel. 

Yashtika Vaswani, head of digital servicing at Makani Creatives, expressed the aim to deliver a compelling Women's Day message that deviates from the conventional formal and preachy approach. “Our aim was to put across a compelling message this women’s day steering away from the usual formal and preachy route. The idea came to fruition when we sought AI-generated questions commonly faced by both male and female travellers–cue the unexpected answers that left us wide-eyed! That’s when we decided to initiate a not-so-serious conversation about the imbalances in travel.”

Commenting on the initiative, Pradnya Popade, marketing communications head at Samsonite South Asia Pvt. Ltd, explained the brand's intent to resonate with the audience on Women's Day. “We wanted to strike a chord with our audience this Women’s Day by bringing forth the subtle biases that affect women to this day, even when it comes to travelling. Travel being a part of the brand DNA, American Tourister wants to initiate conversations that pave the way for a safe and equal space for women, enabling them to travel according to their own rules.”

 Despite the weighty message it carries, the main campaign film maintains a vibrant and light tone, aligning with the easy-going aura of American Tourister. The questions raised in the campaign encapsulate its essence without veering into a serious or preachy tone.

The Give Her Space campaign takes a bold step in challenging stereotypes, shedding light on the societal expectations that continue to influence women's travel experiences, even in the contemporary landscape.