BeerBiceps makes a comeback with a self-aware boAt ad after India’s Got Latent scandal

Ranveer Allahbadia, the YouTuber and podcaster popularly known as BeerBiceps after his YouTube channel, is back in the limelight with a boAt ad, campaigning for a power bank. 

The campaign is drawing eyeballs not merely for the product's sleek wireless design, but primarily because it marks Allahbadia’s comeback to brand collaborations after a period of public scrutiny, which followed a legal trial for making obscene remarks on a YouTube show, 'India's Got Latent'.

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A post shared by Ranveer Allahbadia (@beerbiceps)

The ad, set in a deserted railway station, is a deliberate parody of classic Indian horror movies from the '80s and '90s. During the streaming of what looks like 'The Ranveer Show', a phone runs out of battery and dies on an unsuspecting viewer, leaving him hunting for a charging port. 

The self-aware Allahbadia then appears on screen, chastising the visibly scared man with a ghostly voice effect, “iske jaise podcasters itni mehnat karte hain. Bhoot, yeti, alien par content banate hain, aur tum usse beech me hi rok dete ho (Podcasters like him work so hard. They create content on ghosts, yetis, and aliens, and you stop it right in the middle),” followed by a deliberately abrupt transition to “Upgrade to boAt, bro,” in his normal voice. 

Allahbadia’s partnership with boAt, a popular audio and wearables brand, marks a pivotal moment, not just for Allahbadia but for the industry at large, demonstrating how brands carefully manage reputational risk to reconnect with audiences.

The collaboration comes six months after the ‘India’s Got Latent’ controversy that saw a significant drop in his brand deals and screen time. Other celebrities involved in the trial, like Samay Raina, made their comeback in July with a Knorr collaboration, followed by more partnerships with Bold Care condoms and Deconstruct skincare. Even Apoorva Mukhija, known as 'The Rebel Kid’, was a part of the brand collaboration with Deconstruct alongside Samay Raina. 

The ad campaign cleverly addresses the elephant in the room with Allahbadia declaring, “Tere phone ka toh comeback hogaya, yaar, just like me (Your phone made a comeback, just like me),” prompting the other character to respond, “Bhai, aap comedy mat karo, (Bro, don't do comedy anymore),” alluding to the backlash the YouTuber drew from indulging in comedy on the fateful India’s Got Latent episode.

By leveraging the creator’s personal narrative, the ad has tried to turn a potential liability into a campaign strength, resonating with viewers who appreciated the creator’s candour.