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Dhoni and Brylcreem democratise style
Brylcreem’s new TVC says style is not bound by metropolitan boundaries – it’s for everyone
The male grooming market in India, mostly creams and gels, is worth Rs 80 crore and has been growing at a 30 per cent CAGR. Most of the products are targeted at urban young and middle aged men, mostly in the metros. Now, Godrej Sara Lee’s latest television commercial (TVC), which features cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, does a reverse swing to reach out to a smaller city target group.
Says Tarun Arora, vice-president, marketing, Godrej Sara Lee, “This TVC tells the story of the change that is taking place in smaller cities. Though more of a creative presentation, in a subtle manner, it also talks about the transformation that a small city undergoes when its masses connect well with their youth celebrity icon.”
The film opens, showing Dhoni travelling back to his hometown, Ranchi. Dressed hiply, he is apprehensive about his welcome. So, he is surprised to see that the men in his town have undergone a style metamorphosis. Everyone, whether it’s the farmer, the owner of the corner tea-shop, the local goon, the postman, the gym owner, or even a relative, sports a new hairstyle.
Arora says, “Hairstyling gel communication is usually made to look as if only men who go to nightclubs and discos use such products, whereas all of this is more accessible to common men nowadays. Young men, whether they are in college or in office, use them.”
Godrej Sara Lee worked on the strategy that looking good is an aspiration for men and more and more youth are aspiring to look good. Also, looking good is no more associated with the upper end of society. Grooming products have established a position for themselves amongst all socioeconomic strata. Brylcreem spotted this trend way in advance and created the new campaign. According to Arora, “Brylcreem gel is equal to styling and style is for everyone across different sections of society.”
“We have brought in democratization of style through this campaign. It took us almost one and a half months to complete this shoot,” says Agnello Dias, national creative head, JWT.
Though the film talks about Ranchi, it has been shot on the outskirts of Mumbai.