Mortein brings back mascot 'Louie' in two ads

The round belly, the purple hat, the red eyes and the chain - Louie the mosquito is back in Mortein's ads after a five-year gap. Born to parents Marg and Mort, Louie came into existence in 1957 as a fly. He came to India in 2004 to spread awareness around pest and mosquito-borne diseases. He was drawn and animated by Geoffrey Morgan Pike.

In India, Louie was last seen in commercials in 2017. ‘Louie is back’ in Mortein’s current TV commercial in an all-new meaner, stronger and more menacing avatar, ‘dheeth machhar’, with the iconic ending of him not being afraid of anything, except Mortein. His distinct characteristics, including the iconic cap and a big belly, still resonate with audiences.

We caught up with Manas Lahiri, MD, Havas Worldwide India (Creative), for a chat about the ads. He began the conversation by stating that in the last two years, Mortein had tested different brand solutions to appeal to audiences, before the decision was made to bring Louie back.

“What happened in the last couple of decades is that the category had become very functional and oriented based on a problem-solution model. We wanted to bring fun into this functional category. Kids remember Louie, as a character, and so do moms.”

When asked if Louie would strike a chord with Gen Z, who may not be familiar with the character’s history, Lahiri mentions, “We did worry about that, but we wanted to create a character that would stay with the viewer for a long time. We want to use Louie as a device to make it more interactive with the audience.”

Lahiri adds that the competition in the category tends to focus on touting the qualities of a brand, as opposed to the other. “Our product is a functional one. Generally, if there’s a malaria or a dengue outbreak, then people will buy the product and its refills. Once they buy the product, it doesn’t get over soon and people don’t need to constantly restock, like an FMCG product. It’s not easy to sell products in this category.”

Agency Credits:

Bobby Pawar: chairman & CCO, Havas Group India

Manas Lahiri: MD, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Ravinder Siwach: ED & NCD, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Sumeer Mathur: managing partner & national head of strategy, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Debopriyo Bhattacharya: EVP, strategic planning, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Kirti Sharad: AVP, strategic planning, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Geetika Thakur: SVP, account management, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Samarendra Upadhyay: senior creative director, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)

Sugato Roy: SVP & head of films, Havas Worldwide India (Creative)