Kavitha Iyer

@scmc.edu.in

Faculty, SCMC
Symbiosis International (Deemed) University



              

https://researchid.co/kaviviyer

EDUCATION

BBA, MBA

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Advertising, Consumer Behaviour, Children

10

Scopus Publications

99

Scholar Citations

5

Scholar h-index

2

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

  • Femvertising empowering or commodifying women? Exploring the changing feminist discourse in internationally award-winning advertisements
    Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer and Khushi Dani
    Emerald
    PurposeAlthough women have been represented in advertising since WWII, the themes were laden with stereotypes – from working roles in the 1940s to superwomen in the 1970 and 1980s, second-wave feminism. Contemporary women-centric advertising (or femvertising) strives towards women empowerment and gender equality by stripping down stereotypes. However, through closer inspection, this study examines if this femvertising by brands nowadays is a gimmick to sell their products and further the neoliberal, postfeminist perspective.Design/methodology/approachSemiotic content analysis (SCA) explored the post-feminist discourses, as categorised by Windels et al. (2020) – in the internationally awarded 80 advertisements produced from 2013 to 2023 in the global West and South. Codes generated from SCA were then quantitatively analysed using chi-square and p-values, comparing the three themes: post-feminist elements and discourses, the form of self-surveillance and product ads and measuring the changes in post-feminist discourses in recent years.FindingsAfter 2018, advertisements used more post-feminist discourse, especially commodity feminism, self-surveillance and love-your-body parameters. Brands reacted in their campaigns, conforming to gender stereotypes under empowerment and modifying feminist values.Research limitations/implicationsThe study lacked a phenomenological understanding of the perspective of the consumers, the advertisers and the panel judges of these awards through a qualitative study on the post-feminist aspects of the femvertisements, the importance of depoliticising the women’s struggle or the feminist movement in communicating with the audience and how such a strategy has helped in empowering (or disempowering) real women.Practical implicationsThe study highlights the need for inclusive marketing communication and also outlines implications for the brand owners, advertisers and the creative team. The research emphasises determining the fit between brands and the social issue, eventually leading to positive brand attitude and purchase intention among consumers.Social implicationsThe research helps inform the young consumers about gender equity, the role played by the social, cultural, political, environmental and structural elements in shaping women’s empowerment and how their identity and experiences affect their empowerment. An inclusive communication approach would enable projects with real people with whom consumers, irrespective of gender, can resonate.Originality/valueThe study highlighted the femvertising issue from an inclusive marketing communication spectrum, implying its importance for brands’ attempts to connect with feminist and women consumers authentically.

  • Fantasy Sports Participation in Young Adults: Exploring Motivations and Constraints
    Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer, Shashwat Chaturvedi, and Anupam Siddhartha
    IGI Global
    This study aimed to understand comprehensively the motivations and constraints underlying fantasy sports participation among young adults (18-25) in India. The study applied a motivation and constraint model in the Indian landscape, wherein youth groups who played and did not play fantasy sports were surveyed. Given the issue of the legality of fantasy games in India and its linkage with gambling, two additional factors of addiction and morality were added. The findings of the multiple regression show that participation in fantasy sports among the youth is influenced by intrinsic motivation instead of monetary benefits, pride, or social interaction. Constraints affecting the potential participation of non-players include addiction, consuming valuable time, causing loss of money, and perceived capitalistic exploitation for stakeholders' profit. Producers of fantasy games need to enhance engagement levels to foster intrinsic motivation instead of external among the youth and safeguard them from addiction and gambling.


  • A generational study on self-referential advertising: How it affects attitude toward brands
    Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer and Mansuri Mallika
    LLC CPC Business Perspectives
    Self-referential, meta or self-aware advertising uses irony and cynicism to overtly critique and challenge conventional advertising strategies. While increasingly multiple brands are using self-referential advertising campaigns to implement innovative advertising strategies, a limited amount of research has been conducted on the effects of self-referential advertising on consumers’ evaluative responses. This study aimed to identify a link between self-referential ads and the consumers’ sense of self-presentation, mainly the conflict between the ideal self and the real self, and how this, in turn, affects their attitude toward the brand in the subject, further affecting purchase intention and brand perception. A quantitative structured study was conducted in a group of 326 18–35-year-old people, comprising Millennial and Generation Z consumers, using voluntary sampling through links to Google Forms distributed online on various platforms. Findings showed a significant positive correlation between self-referential ads, brand perception, and consumers’ brand attitude (r = 0.777, 0.712). Besides, in the mediation analysis, each of the four regression models establishes a correlation among the three variables. However, significance is not found in the mediating role of consumers’ real selves between self-referential advertising and brand attitude, though consumption patterns mediate consumer acceptance of self-referential advertising. The findings gave product/brand managers and marketing professionals a strategic direction on the importance of using self-referential forms of advertising in congruence with the product life cycle and brand positioning. It also helps to understand the importance of consumption patterns in creating advertising appeals.

  • Influence of Disability-Inclusive Advertising on Behavioral Intention - An Intergenerational Analysis
    Yukta Kulkarni and Kavitha Iyer
    Redfame Publishing
    In recent years, although inclusive advertising has emerged as a vital focus for global brands, the representation of individuals with disabilities has predominantly been viewed through an ableist lens. The main purpose of this study is to examine the influence of disability-inclusive advertising on the behavioural intentions of Generations X and Z in relation to social inclusion. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we investigated intergenerational attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, self-schemas, anticipated regret felt (moderators), and behavioral intention towards a disability-inclusive advertisement as the stimulus using a sample of 270 respondents recruited using stratified convenience sampling. While the study revealed impartiality of attitudes and subjective norms regarding disability inclusion, perceived behavioral control was affirmative and notably more robust in Generation X as compared to Generation Z. The analysis reveals positive behavioural intentions to promote social inclusion for individuals with disabilities. This study provides important contributions to marketing and sociology by highlighting the crucial role of inclusive advertising in fostering favorable behavioral intentions among targeted audiences. This unique study, represents initial investigation into inclusive advertising within the Indian context, with a specific emphasis on its capacity to foster a favourable socio-psychological change within two prominent societal groups.

  • Fashion consumption during COVID-19: Comparative analysis of changing acquisition practices across nine countries and implications for sustainability
    Katia Vladimirova, Claudia E. Henninger, Cosette Joyner-Martinez, Samira Iran, Sonali Diddi, Marium Durrani, Kavitha Iyer, Iva Jestratijevic, Helen McCormick, Kirsi Niinimäki,et al.
    Elsevier BV

  • Brand placement in Web Series: Assessing consumer attitudes in India
    Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer and Anupam Siddhartha
    LLC CPC Business Perspectives
    Reports indicate that 49% of adults in India spend at least 2-3 hours consuming OTT media, rather than watching conventional television. With such changes in the way the general population is exposed to content, brands have also been adapting to the new patterns that this study investigates. This study was conducted to assess consumers’ attitudes and acceptance towards brand placement in the novel media format of web series based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This study, based on a survey of 278 individuals from Urban India settings, was conducted using a self-report questionnaire adapted from F Davis’s Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and User Acceptance of TAM questionnaire (1989). The study supports TAM and recognizes that the frequency of viewing Web Series directly relates to brand recall (R = 0.57, p < .001). Product/brand placement yields brand awareness for unknown or unpopular brands and provide evidence for higher engagement with the placement when the audiences have pre-existing positive attitudes towards the brand (t (277) = 27.11, p = .01). This study also confirms that TAM as a relevant model can be applied to understand how regularity and duration of viewing affect attitudes towards brands and their placement in Web Series. Brand placement in Web Series is perceived as useful and largely determines brand name recall. Thus, marketers should strategically consider using brand placement in Web Series as a part of their marketing communication plan, especially as this media with other related forms of advertisement are important for brands to keep up with the industry’s communication challenges.

  • Impact of Advertising on Educational Apps Used by Children: A Parental Perspective
    Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer and Vikas Suresh Dole
    IGI Global
    India’s education sector is being impacted by COVID-19 in unprecedented ways. The pandemic is disrupting the traditional education system, affecting over 320 million students. This sector is trying to develop robust, innovative approaches to foster a paradigm shift toward digital education. These efforts are being supplemented with the launch of quality-focused multilingual educational applications (apps). Parents are also swiftly adopting a variety of e-learning apps. This research addresses the role of advertisements to empower parents to be educated consumers for educational apps for children. The purposeful sample data were collected from 307 parents of students from the top 10 ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) and CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools in Urban India. The findings indicate that advertising media accelerates the diffusion of educational technology and apps among parents. However, it does not help in overcoming insecurities that parents may have regarding these apps for their children.

  • Sustenance of languishing craft – gollabhama saree of siddipet, telegana, india



RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Femvertising empowering or commodifying women? Exploring the changing feminist discourse in internationally award-winning advertisements
    KV Iyer, K Dani
    Corporate Communications: An International Journal 2025

  • Perceived obstacles to implementing healthy eating habits amongst pre-adolescent Indian children–a parental perspective
    KV Iyer, A Siddhartha
    International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 29 (1), 2398037 2024

  • Fantasy Sports Participation in Young Adults: Exploring Motivations and Constraints
    KV Iyer, S Chaturvedi, A Siddhartha
    International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations (IJGCMS 2024

  • Influence of Disability-Inclusive Advertising on Behavioral Intention-An Intergenerational Analysis
    Y Kulkarni, K Iyer
    Studies in Media and Communication 11 (6), 271-287 2023

  • A generational study on self-referential advertising: How it affects attitude toward brands
    KV Iyer, M Mallika
    Innovative Marketing 19 (4), 40 2023

  • Fashion consumption during COVID-19: Comparative analysis of changing acquisition practices across nine countries and implications for sustainability
    K Vladimirova, CE Henninger, C Joyner-Martinez, S Iran, S Diddi, ...
    Cleaner and Responsible Consumption 5, 100056 2022

  • Virtual Events and Use of Technology
    KV Iyer
    International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human 2022

  • Impact of Advertising on Educational Apps Used by Children: A Parental Perspective
    VSD Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer
    International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies 16 (6) 2021

  • Virtual Events and Use of Technology
    A Kavitha Venkatasubramany Iyer
    International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human 2021

  • Motivate or Demotivate? Factors Influencing Choice of Media as a Career.
    K Iyer, A Siddhartha
    International Journal of Higher Education 10 (1), 239-251 2021

  • Brand placement in web series: Assessing consumer attitudes in India
    KV Iyer, A Siddhartha
    Innovative Marketing 17 (2), 33 2021

  • Sustenance of languishing craft-Gollabhama Saree of Siddipet, Telegana, India.
    T Priyadarshini, K Iyer
    Man-Made Textiles in India 98 (12) 2020

  • Study of effectiveness of product placement in Indian web series among young consumers
    KV Iyer
    8th International Conference on “The Effect of ‘New approach to 2019

  • Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
    K Vladimirova, CE Henninger, C Joyner-Martinez, S Iran, S Diddi, ...

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

  • Fashion consumption during COVID-19: Comparative analysis of changing acquisition practices across nine countries and implications for sustainability
    K Vladimirova, CE Henninger, C Joyner-Martinez, S Iran, S Diddi, ...
    Cleaner and Responsible Consumption 5, 100056 2022
    Citations: 59

  • Motivate or Demotivate? Factors Influencing Choice of Media as a Career.
    K Iyer, A Siddhartha
    International Journal of Higher Education 10 (1), 239-251 2021
    Citations: 14

  • Brand placement in web series: Assessing consumer attitudes in India
    KV Iyer, A Siddhartha
    Innovative Marketing 17 (2), 33 2021
    Citations: 7

  • Study of effectiveness of product placement in Indian web series among young consumers
    KV Iyer
    8th International Conference on “The Effect of ‘New approach to 2019
    Citations: 7

  • Virtual Events and Use of Technology
    KV Iyer
    International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human 2022
    Citations: 5

  • A generational study on self-referential advertising: How it affects attitude toward brands
    KV Iyer, M Mallika
    Innovative Marketing 19 (4), 40 2023
    Citations: 3

  • Sustenance of languishing craft-Gollabhama Saree of Siddipet, Telegana, India.
    T Priyadarshini, K Iyer
    Man-Made Textiles in India 98 (12) 2020
    Citations: 3

  • Influence of Disability-Inclusive Advertising on Behavioral Intention-An Intergenerational Analysis
    Y Kulkarni, K Iyer
    Studies in Media and Communication 11 (6), 271-287 2023
    Citations: 1