“To be a mom is not a sacrifice, but a choice”- Titan Raga

I remember watching this ad four years back on TV, and I am surprised that it has still managed to stay with me, but is it not what a good advertisement does?

The ad is from the brand Titan raga for women watches, the brand already claims itself to be the symbol of individuality, designed for the women who believe in her femininity and makes it her power. We can very well see the same theme being reflected in its advertisements.

The brand has often taken up the conservation surrounding womanhood and femininity and also the stereotypes arising out of their career, marriage, and workplace with its campaigns like “khud se naya rishta”, “her life her choice” and “break the bias” and this time “mom by choice”. The brand seems to have centered its theme on women empowerment and feminism.

Talking about “mom by choice” campaign, Titan Raga launched this advertisement in 2016. The ad film opens at a family gathering, supposedly a baby shower. A man raises a toast and urges the mom-to-be to deliver a speech at the gathering. At the start, she shows a little reluctance, and refuses to speak out, however, after a glance at her Titan Raga watch, she smiles and finally agrees.

She starts by saying how thrilled and excited she is to be a mother, however, she does not aspire to be a conventional mother that the society approves of, rather she would probably be a mother who would not cook the perfect round chapatis for the dinner or who would not restlessly wait for her children to come home after school.

Then she points at her mother and says that she would rather be a “ghumakkad” liker her and appreciates her mother for the unconventional way she has brought her up, for finishing her Ph.D. at the age of 45, and for never giving up on her aspirations and passion for traveling. She even acknowledges how her mother’s travel stories had become her favourite fairy-tales. She thanks her for always prioritizing her dreams over someone else’s and even loving her own life, as much as she loved her daughter. She then signs off by saying- “motherhood should not be a sacrifice, but a choice, and I have made one”.

The idea of this campaign “mom by choice” celebrates the new and unconventional idea of motherhood, and challenges the stereotype and perceived notions about being a mother where the woman is expected to give up her dreams and sacrifice the ambitions to take care of the child. The purpose of the advertisement is clearly not about explaining the functional benefits of the watch, but to form a bond with the target audience. The theme highlights the insight of the apprehensions that almost every woman goes through while conceiving a child whether her life will change or not, or would she have enough freedom to travel or pursue her dreams. The advertisement obliquely answers those questions by implying that to be a mother does not come with the cost of forgoing dreams and aspirations.

The plot of the ad is not overly sentimental, however, it does make some sort of emotional grip on the audience especially the mothers and mothers-to-be who are most likely to relate to this ad. But not just them, because the relationship between a mother and child is so universal, it is bound to strike a chord with every viewer. The ad makes the viewer re-evaluate their idea of what a mother should be.

We have grown up watching the stereotypical image of a mother in the movies or media, as someone who is sacrificial and perpetually accommodating, we have normalized this image to such an extent that this is what is now expected of a mother. The advertisement, however, carries out a contrary image, unorthodox, and an atypical mother, who chooses to pursue her ambitions and embraces her identity as a traveler, while still being acknowledged as good mother. The ad thus delivers the message that a mother who doesn’t sacrifice her desires and identity can still be a perfect mom because parenthood should not cost one’s identity and it should never be treated as a burden, but a responsibility. The idea about preserving one’s individuality, and making one’s own choices also makes this film a part of the larger brand narrative.

The film has mostly first-time actors, and no one looks like a model, hence giving a more sense of reality and relatability. The target audience of the ad is upper-class women between the ages of 27–30. The set-up of the ad is simple and shows a close-knitted family, just celebrating and having their supper. The duration of the ad film is just around 1.5 minutes but tends to stick with viewers way longer than that.