"Ad is designed to play up emotions of both men and women equally"

“A deodorant does not fight flatulence or help you play the piano better. It has one simple purpose — to attract the opposite sex. So, sensuality is an essential ingredient in advertising deodorants,” said late brand consultant and co-founder of end-to-end consultancy, chlorophyll, Anand Halve when we asked him — Are deodorant brands were going overboard with sensuality? Eight years since the article was published, his words still make sense.

The latest ad from the house of ITC — for Engage — is built on the same 'spray the deo, get the woman' narrative. The close-to-50-second long ad features Kartik Aaryan and Tara Sutaria, the brand's first-ever ambassadors. Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson, a global digital agency, the campaign announces the launch of Engage's new range of fragrances — Engage Intrigue Man, Engage Intrigue Woman, Engage Spirit Man and Engage Spirit Woman.

Speaking about the campaign, Sameer Satpathy, chief executive, personal care, ITC Limited, tells us the idea is, prolonging a special moment with a loved one, which makes letting go or saying goodbye very hard.

Other brands in the category, including McNROE's Wildstone, Beiersdorf's Nivea, and Unilever's Axe, have played the sensuality card for years. Amidst the clutter in the category, Vini Cosmetics' Fogg stood out with its 'bina gas wala' proposition.

In fact, in the past, Engage has created communication on similar lines.

Commenting on the observation, Satpathy says, “Engage, as a brand has always believed in equality, especially in love. As Engage fragrances have been introduced in complementing fragrances for him and her, communication also is designed to equally play up emotions of both men and women.”

About the ideation of the campaign, Tista Sen, regional creative director, J Walter Thompson, South Asia, tells us, “When we were brainstorming, we thought about how proximity is such an important part of any young couple in love. The way they sit, the way they stand, the way their physical space just has to seem like one. And here came the thought. More than the anticipation of meeting, more than the longing… the toughest part is really when you must separate. Goodbyes linger forever. Fingers remain intertwined all evening. And young lovers just cannot part. And what should be just another moment becomes the beginning of yet another chapter in the saga of young love.”

The brief given by the brand, she shares, was simple. “Magnetic fragrances that make you inseparable is what we worked with. And we needed to be in the Engage world of a young couple very much in love. These were new variants so we had a new story to tell.”

She adds, “We were very clear we needed a simple story to land the idea. ‘Love is never having to say goodbye’ was at the back of our minds and this is precisely what we sought to emulate.”

Apart from television, the campaign covers digital, social media and retail.

We spoke to a couple of industry experts to understand their take on — Does the deodorant category need a new selling point?

Shubhojit Sengupta, executive creative director, Enormous, thinks the boy wooing girl is a set formula, which almost every brand in the category uses in its communication. “This one lacks any original story to back it up or offer a fresh perspective and using celebs are the quickest way to sell a product.”

Yash Bendkhale, creative director, What's Your Problem, says, “If you see it with an advertising lens, the ad works. It uses two celebrities that resonate with the target audience, which presumably is a younger one. It follows the trend of remixing old songs with new flavour — something Bollywood has been riding on.”

He adds, “There’s nothing really wrong with the ad. It delivers the point clearly. It’s about fragrance, the benefit of that fragrance which is attracting attention, and is relatable to the intended audience. Does it make me wish I had done it? Not really.”

He feels, the need for a new selling point in the deo/category cannot be emphasised enough. “Fogg did that and suddenly catapulted into spotlight,” says Bendkhale, “it became part of conversations, branded itself brilliantly and even became a meme in itself. We need brands in this space to do this more often. If we, as advertisers, can find a way to resist the attraction of popular advertising tropes, men and women may find themselves doing something else in our ads.”