Propah Lady: reclaiming the rules of being proper

Read the campaign story

Puma India’s Propah Lady campaign launched in October 2019 with Mary Kom, Dutee Chand, Sara Ali Khan and Anjali Lama. It challenged restrictive ideas about how women should behave by presenting women who were already pursuing their own paths. The brand’s announcement describes a digital campaign led by Instagram and YouTube, supported by other social channels and commercial partners. The cast linked sports and lifestyle without requiring everyone to represent the same kind of achievement.

Digitas’s case account identifies a master film, shorter ambassador pieces and tools such as Instagram and printable stickers. It describes an intention to strengthen Puma’s connection with women in India. That agency account also contains reach and business claims, but this entry does not treat those self-reported figures as independently verified incremental outcomes. The launch date remains 2019, not the later year in which the work received an award.

The editorial mechanism is reclamation. A phrase that can carry judgement becomes a label the featured women define for themselves. The altered spelling gives it a distinctive campaign identity, while the familiar expression makes the contrast immediately understandable. Participation tools then allow the phrase to travel beyond the original film. Their usefulness depends on whether people can express something of their own, rather than merely repeat a brand-approved slogan.

A small sports or lifestyle business could adapt this with an opt-in series about ordinary choices customers are proud to make. Let participants select the activity and language, pay for contributions where appropriate and secure specific permission for reuse. Offer accessible formats and moderate public responses. Never turn participation into pressure to reveal sexuality, gender history, health information or other private matters; people should be able to join through a simple account of an interest or goal.

The campaign is not evidence that a slogan removes structural barriers. Representation and participation are useful communication choices, but they need support from the customer experience and working practices. Evaluate whether participants recognise themselves in the final material, whether viewers understand the invitation and whether the product remains relevant. The case’s practical value is the combination of a clear verbal idea, a varied cast and reusable formats, with the important condition that the people using those formats retain control over what their stories mean.

Let people define the label

Invite personal meanings rather than enforcing a single approved story.

Make participation usable

Provide accessible formats with clear reuse permission.

Moderate the response

Plan for harassment before inviting public participation.

A small test for another brief

Invite adults to share a self-chosen activity or style decision.

Participant approval and relevant voluntary contributions.

Pause public submissions if moderation cannot protect participants.

• Explain voluntary participation and specific image reuse.
• Co-create accessible portraits with participant-approved wording.
• Moderate responses and offer a simple withdrawal route.