Gillette launches emotional 'role model' campaign with Rahul Dravid

Conceptualised by BBDO India, the 'Because you are my role model' TVC is also being driven on social media strongly with the #MyRoleModel hashtag to generate conversations

Sarmistha Neogy | Mumbai | May 16, 2014

Click on the image to watch the TVC.

Gillette, the men's personal care brand from P&G, has launched a new campaign – 'Because you are my role model' – to urge male fans in the target group of 15-45 years to talk about their male role model in life. The television campaign conceptualised by BBDO India has used an 'emotional' angle in the story plot to bind viewers.

In the TVC, Rahul Dravid, brand ambassador of Gillette India, thanks his dad for being his role model and for showing him the real meaning of steel. It starts with a young boy playing cricket and his dad imparting the golden lessons of life so that he can stand up after every fall. His dad also makes him understand that 'to win is to take hits and still carry on because every hit makes you stronger'.

We Indians have been brought up in such a way that we are deeply attached to our parents and family. The male members in our life – our father, brothers, friends, colleagues – play an important part in making us who we are today. However, very rarely do we get a chance to express our feelings to these men who are our role models and whom we look up to. This is where Gillette India comes into the picture and intends to facilitate conversations around these men, #MyRoleModel. It is said to be the first of its kind initiative by any FMCG brand in this space.

A spokesperson from Gillette India said, “To celebrate these values and the passion of the fan for the game of cricket, we have also launched a special edition of Gillette India engraved razors that proudly displays the country's name and colour. The new razor has the word 'INDIA' engraved on the handle as a mark of salute to 'the inner steel' which is shared by Gillette razors and Indian cricket fans.”

Another powerful campaign from Gillette India and BBDO released last year was 'Soldiers Wanted' which was created in the aftermath of the Delhi rape case. The message in this campaign was very strong: 'Soldiers wanted - not to guard the borders. Not to go to war. But to support the most important battle of the nation - to stand up for women, because when you respect women, you respect your nation. Gillette salutes the soldier in you.'

Josy Paul

Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, commenting on why he decided to use the emotional angle to reach out to viewers, said, “The 'Because you are a role model' is a unique initiative by Gillette that celebrates the values that make a man the best that he can be. The timing is right as it is the biggest year of sports globally as well as in India. The 'role model' TVC and print ad inspire men to embrace the inner steel values of passion for winning, doing the right thing and playing with integrity at all times.”

Active on Social Media: The hastag #MyRoleModel has been incorporated in the last frame of the TVC, to invite fans to tweet about their male role model to the mentioned hashtag. The Facebook page of Gillette India which has around 2.7 million fans, is also actively promoting this campaign. On the YouTube channel of the brand, the TVC has been customised, by using the hashtag throughout the video.

Gillette has simultaneously launched a blogging campaign on Blogadda where bloggers can share stories about their favourite male role model with #MyRoleModel in 300 words. He could be any one from a father figure to a brother, colleague or someone completely unknown. The 100 chosen bloggers from these entries will get a chance to shoot a video blog for the brand. These bloggers will also win Flipkart vouchers worth Rs 1,000 each. The Best Video will win a Flipkart voucher worth Rs 50,000.

What brand experts say

Do brand experts think that Gillette India has been successful in communicating the message through their new TVC?

Harish Bijoor

Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, said, “It's a typical digi-TV campaign which is simple and resonates with all. The idea is to trend a hashtag that has stories to tell and I feel the #MyRoleModel hashtag has the potential to grab stories from every person there is. However, having said this, participation will be dependent on the media exposure this film gets. To that extent, it is not overt and as efficient as a hashtag promoter could be.”

Saurabh Parmar

Saurabh Parmar, CEO, Brandlogist, commented, “It is a decent TVC by Gillette, but from the digital integration perspective, I found it quite weak. Digital and social are far more than inserting a hashtag in a video and running a contest around it. Brands have to get away from this mentality of collecting contest entries and increasing their follower base and should grow to make genuine consumer connect.”

“Even in the current TVC, there was an opportunity to use the communication around showing the real meaning of 'inner steel' than just collect contest entries around the hashtag. On Twitter even, they are retweeting entries rather than individually having a conversation with them. Genuine content and engagement is what build the brand,” added Parmar.

The TVC:

https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/

Credits:

Client: Gillette India

Agency: BBDO

Chief Creative Officer: Josy Paul

Executive Creative Director: Rajdeepak Das

Account Management: Phiroze Marolia

Agency Producer: Divyang Pandya

Copywriters: Hemant Shringy, Rajdeepak Das, Josy Paul

Production House: Red Ice Films

Director: Robbie Grewal

Sarmistha@BestMediaInfo.com

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