Titan Raga’s Pride campaign uses themes of inclusivity in self-expression

In its essence, Titan Raga is a line of watches, but the brand has made a name for itself with progressive and sensitive advertising. Its latest campaign is in line with that progressive thinking.

Its campaign is titled ‘Proud to be me’, and in a press note, it claims to be a bid to encourage inclusivity in the society. Through this campaign, the brand talks about nurturing your relationship with your own self and embracing who you really are.

The film captures the joyful art of dressing up. Kumar Iyer is seen getting dressed up elegantly in a saree, doing his makeup and putting on a delicate neckpiece. A masculine individual applying lipstick and wearing jewellery (in addition to donning a Titan Raga watch) would normally be frowned upon, but the film normalises it, to a certain extent.

Sirish Chandrashekar, marketing head, Titan Watches, says that from ‘Khud se naya rishta’ to ‘Flaunt your flaws’, Raga has always looked at advertising through a feminine perspective.

“Honouring the Pride month, we wanted to reach out and encourage everyone to be their true selves, thereby sending a positive message of inclusivity and self-expression. At the heart of the campaign, lied the key message – ‘What you feel is who you are’,” says Chandrashekar.

He added that in the current lockdown scenario, dressing up is a powerful way to uplift spirits and feel good about oneself. “It is about appreciating yourself and celebrating your being, especially in these gloomy times. We don’t really need an occasion to dress up,” he says.

He explains that the brief shared with the agency was that given the current context, we need to connect and send a message during Pride month for inclusivity and higher acceptance of people around us.

“The brand team collaborated with counterparts at Ogilvy to brainstorm and identify the best possible way to pass on the message in the most simple, yet impactful manner. We decided to lead the campaign with Kumar Iyer, a member and mentor in the LQBTQ community,” he explains.

When the script was finalised, Chandrashekar says that the film was shot, complying with lockdown restrictions. He added that technology became the thread to tie everything end to end for execution – with video calls/real time streaming.

In 2018, a Titan Raga TVC celebrated a woman's ability to embrace who she is, and the way she accepts every bit of herself. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the TVC celebrates women from different walks of life who wear their scars with pride. The campaign was titled - #FlauntYourFlaw.

This campaign was seen as significant at the time because traditionally, women are asked to cover up their flaws. This ad prompts women to be unapologetic about them, showing the 'flaws' (such as dark circles and facial scars) as a symbol of their hardwork.

In 2017, Titan released an ad which stressed on the fact that motherhood is a choice for women, not a compulsion. The ad featured a young woman, who swore never to make ‘round’ rotis for her children and would be a ghumakkad mother, inspired by her own mother’s fairytales revolving around wanderlust.

While talking about empowered women and feminist perspectives, one can’t forget the ad with actress Nimrat Kaur in 2014. In the film, Kaur (of ‘Lunchbox’ fame) runs into an ex-boyfriend at an airport lounge. As they discuss their past, and what 'could have been', the audience learns why they separated in the first place – when it came to marriage, he wanted her to quit her job. She questions why he found it so acceptable to ask her to quit her job while continuing to work himself.

In 2016, Raga took on the issue of workplace equality. Its famous ‘Kiran’ ad, references a fresher in a company, whose name is up for promotion, recommended by her male boss. Throughout the ad, we see visuals of a woman, whom we presume is Kiran and her boss working closely together, even during weekends and after hours. When Kiran is called into the room, we learn that it is, in fact, a young man in question. ‘Change the way you look at a woman’s success’, urges the ad. This campaign was also conceptualised by Ogilvy and was titled 'Break The Bias'.

In 2015, we saw Bollywood star and brand ambassador Katrina Kaif urge viewers not to get married for the sake of getting married, or because there was pressure from the family, or because ‘everyone’ was doing it. But to take the plunge when the 'time' is right. The word play was the link that brought the focus back to the watch in question.

This was not the first of feminist ads by Titan featuring Kaif. In 2012, we saw Kaif (again) whisk her mother away on a vacation that her partner could not make it to, in a light hearted commercial that urged viewers to 'Be More'.

Pride Campaign Credits

AGENCY:

Created by: Ogilvy Bangalore

Chief Creative Officers: Mahesh Gharat, Kiran Anthony

Group Creative Director: Divya Bhatia

Script writer: Divya Bhatia

Managing Partner, South: Tithi Ghosh

Account Management: Akshatha Poojari, Anukriti Som, Arpita Sarkar

PR Agency: AdfactorsPR

PRODUCTION:

Production House: The Magic BoxDirector: Jahaan Noble

Executive Producer: Mayur Patel

Director of Photography: Kunal Kuray

Music: Anurag BhagatCast: Kumar Iyer

Post Production Head: Neeraj Saini