Tetley Green Tea challenges stereotypical nicknames with its new campaign

Tetley Green Tea Immune, a green tea brand in India, has released a sequel to its last year’s #everyBODYcan campaign. This campaign continues the important conversation of looking beyond ‘surface-level’ fitness initiated earlier and takes on the endearing yet unwarranted nicknames given to people of various body types, based on how they look.

The new campaign I am more than my nickname reinforces the thought that ‘you are more than your body type’. It urges people to not be constrained by their nickname, which has been given to them based on their physical appearance, as a name doesn’t define your abilities and how fit you are. Through this film Tetley continues to take another step to help women realise their inner potential keeping the internal as well as external fitness in mind.

People have a habit of giving seemingly ‘adorable’ nicknames to kids based on their physical appearance such as ‘Golu’, ‘Ladoo’ etc. Although they sound endearing and harmless, these stereotypical nicknames can sometimes end up hurting the kid’s self-belief. These nicknames can often serve as reminders telling them that they can’t do certain things if they are of a certain body type, forcing them to grow up and sometimes actually live up to these nicknames. The film from Tetley challenges the biases that crop up because of such nicknames leading to inadvertent body shaming.

It showcases the story of one such woman with a nickname ‘Golu’ who grows up and does all that she sets out to do (against the perceived judgement of others), thus sending out a message that #everyBODYcan. It portrays ‘Golu’ being judged all her life based on her body type and her nickname and how the world around her stereotypes her to be capable or incapable of doing various things throughout her life. Yet she overcomes all the judgments and leaves viewers empowered with the belief that they can do a lot more than what the people around may perceive that they are capable of.

The film closes with a rousing battle cry from women of all body types holding a placard of the nicknames given to them, everyone who were told they can’t do something, saying– “My Body Can, Your Body Can, Every Body Can” sending out a message that they are more than their nickname and how they look like.

Talking about the film, Puneet Das, president- packaged beverages (India and South Asia), Tata Consumer Products, said, “We constantly innovate to bring differentiated offerings such as Tetley Green Tea Immune with added Vitamin C range. In the second edition of our #everyBODYcan campaign, we highlight the stereotypes that may seep in through ‘adorable sounding’ nicknames that are based on certain body types and are inadvertently given to the kids which would then become labels that they may live up to, affecting their confidence. This campaign yet again urges people to look beyond the body types/ surface level fitness and believe in themselves by focusing on feeling fit from inside out.”

Arpan Bhattacharyya, head of creative, Lowe Lintas (South), said, “Golu, Teeli, Laddoo - each is a harmless nickname, inspired by a certain body type. Kids are identified by these nicknames. But these nicknames can become identities in themselves as well. A “Golu” loves to eat. But can’t run fast. A “Teeli” is petite. But can’t lift weights. And so on. Regardless of how true these typecasts are or how fit the owner of the nickname is or isn’t. We wanted to urge women to be more than their nicknames. Because being fit isn’t only about looking fit."

Agency Credits:

Agency: Lowe Lintas, Bangalore

Production Credits:

Production House: Superfly Films

Director: Kopal Naithani