Allen Solly ritualises mask-wearing and going back to the office in new ad

To wear a mask and to work from home (WFH) will characterise the pandemic and the lockdown in the future. The former to protect us and halt the virus' spread and the latter because offices remained shut.

Now, the lockdown has ended and the country has reopened in most areas and so have offices in several places; employees have begun to attend office once again but the number varies depending on the rules. However, wearing of masks remains a mandate everyone must follow regardless of whether one heading to the office or not when outdoors.

Now, taking these two aspects into mind, Allen Solly has released an ad on face masks. One where the wearing of masks is shown as a part of the 'every day getting ready for work ritual'. We also see a father instructing her daughter the right way to wear a mask before she heads out to play. And towards the end of the ad, we see the range of masks from Allen Solly that compares wearing masks to wearing a smile – it's easy.

A striking part of the ad is when a lady mistakes her colleague Abhishek for Amit because one, he's wearing a mask. Two, it's been a while since they've met each other in person (there's a limit to social interaction over Zoom calls after all).

We thought the ad was quite the feel-good one and so did Carlton D'Silva, co-founder, House of Awe. He remarked, "I like the fact that it's a refreshing take on the subject ... It's not the usual take as we are seeing in the many post COVID ads that have been released ... I like the way the brand has also included their range of masks too... subtle but good..."

Anil. S. Kumar, COO, Allen Solly: "Driven by the need of the hour, wearing face masks has become a new normal. They are now an unavoidable necessity for the greater good. Our campaign aims to add a fresh and positive perspective on the concept of masks by connecting it to a human characteristic - Smile. With easing lockdowns, people have started venturing out and wearing a mask is the new norm. It becomes highly critical in such times to device messages carefully and creatively.

Through our campaign, we are not just highlighting people’s duties & obligations but also empowering their trust in accepting masks as a way to express oneself just the way we do with our smiles. We strongly believe the campaign will add positivity and reinforce the importance of wearing masks to not only keep ourselves safe but put others around us at ease as well.”

Mahesh Gharat, CCO, Ogilvy South, the agency behind the ad said, "Masks are the essentials for the new world. But we don’t want people to feel they are a burden. Designed right, they can be cool, quirky and very very endearing. Our easy-breezy film encourages people to wear a mask with a smile."