A Bold Moonshot: All you need to know about Bold Care's debut ad starring Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins

A sexual wellness product advertised in a daily soap opera format, featuring a porn star and an A-list celebrity. 

For Bold Care, a sexual health and wellness brand, this proved to be the perfect combination to capture everyone’s attention and get the Internet buzzing.  

The brand launched the #TakeBoldCareofHer campaign with its co-founder, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and porn star Johnny Sins. The ad spot is a parody of the typical Indian daily soap. 

“Till the release of our ad, there was a lack of discourse around men’s sexual health. Approx, 3% of men face this problem globally, still, there’s a conscious absence of open communication on this,” says Rajat Jadhav, cofounder of Bold Care.

The film was conceptualised by Moonshot, the ad agency led by Tanmay Bhat, Deviah Bopanna, and their team. It was directed by Ayappa KM and produced by Earlyman Films.  

In the film, Singh questions his brother Johnny's wife about her decision to leave their house. The wife's response shocks all the family members. The drama, accentuated by classic daily soap style slow-motion shots, concludes on a positive note with the intervention of a capsule, addressing men’s sexual health.

In India, men’s sexual health remains a taboo subject, often avoided in conversations. Despite the seriousness of the issue, the question arises: does it require a humorous take?

“Anything that is difficult to have a conversation on, humour is the best way to open it up. Laugh a little on it, and then talk about it,” he answers. 

The brand created a parody of daily soaps, recognising its resonance with the millennial generation. The campaign demographically targets individuals aged 25 to 35 years. 

The brand is not spending money on media buying. Instead, they are relying on the creativity of the content. “The content has been picked up automatically, we haven’t spent anything to support it,” he adds.

The commercial went viral on the Internet. “Our intention was never to make the ad viral. The purpose was to make people start having this conversion on this topic,” he states. 

According to Google Trends, searches for Bold Care on Feb 13, 2024 surpassed those for both Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins. The ad went live on February 12, 2024. 

With netizens finding it amusing, the ad generated a mixed reaction. While some users appreciated the storyline, and dialogues of the ad, the others were criticising it for using edgy jokes and mocking the Indian value system.

“I don’t think we made fun in a demeaning manner. Parodies and satires, in general, don’t make fun of the people but make fun of tropes. If it would have been perceived in that way by a certain community, then the searches wouldn’t have been this much,” he mentions.

Jadhav added, “If a community is blaming us for using edgy jokes in the ad. They should remember, there was not a single conversation on this issue earlier. I don’t know what would be the better outcome, facing this problem or getting it solved through an avenue.”

“There is a stigma around this topic. If people never talk about the problem, it will never get solved," he adds.

Idea behind the pairing

The pairing of Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins is as unexpected as it is intriguing. Singh, known for his energetic performances on big screens, brings in glamour, while the presence of Sins, a veteran of the adult film industry, within a classic desi daily soap setting works as a shock factor.

With this campaign, the brand aims to showcase that anyone, including Sins, can encounter sexual health issues.

“The perception the category holds is an assumption that this problem is usually faced by men above 50-60 years old, but surprisingly the average age is closer to 30. And, mostly men don’t figure out a solution but choose to stay quiet,” Jadhav adds. 

The inclusion of Sins in the ad raised concerns among some individuals, as his line of work is deemed inappropriate within the cultural context of the country. 

“We haven’t showcased the skin of Johnny Sins. Our idea was not to play on that trope, and that’s why he’s seen wearing kurta pyjama,” he says. 

Category code

In the men’s sexual wellness category, direct communication is scarce due to the prevailing taboo around the topic in India. With this campaign, Bold Care aims to be at the top of peoples’ minds in the space by focusing on consumer education.

“We don’t recall any brands that can talk about this issue only. The category had no communication till now. We want to be a part of a change, it’s like talking about mental health in 2010, people were not comfortable and not seeking solutions. But the assumption changed drastically. Likewise, education on men’s sexual health will take its time,” he states.

Post-campaign plans 

After the campaign went viral, Ranveer Singh engaged in a candid conversation with Dr Seema Anand, a sex health influencer and a distinguished figure in the realm of sexual health and wellness in India. 

In the session, they spoke about men’s sexuality and broke some myths about physical intimacy. The expert answered frequently asked questions on Google about men’s sexual health. 

During the session, Singh also offered a brief introduction to Bold Care’s range of products.

“There’s a need to educate consumers about this. Someone with a stature like Singh talking about it openly reshapes the conversation. We’re educating people so that conversation and men seek solutions to this problem rather than ignoring it,” Jadhav highlights.