Hindustan Unilever’s flagship tea brand, Red Label has recently launched a new campaign in its ‘Taste of Togetherness’ series.
The TVC, conceptualised by Ogilvy, shows three people in a train compartment, one of whom is blind. While the woman is creeped out by the guy indulging in conversation, the blind man socialises and accepts the tea offered by the guy. The advertisement leaves the aftertaste of empathy and advises people to go against their prejudices of judging someone based on their appearance.
Shiva Krishnamurthy, Vice President for Beverages at Hindustan Unilever, said, "Brooke Bond Red Label tea has always stood for bringing people together, irrespective of differences in backgrounds, abilities, and beyond. Our #SwadApnepanKa campaign embodies this ethos, evolving to address current social contexts and present unique narratives. This latest rendition attempts a non stereotypical portrayal of people with disabilities."
Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmarkar, Chief Creative Officers at Ogilvy India, said, “As humans, we’re conditioned to judge other humans. This can be based on their caste, appearance, gender, and many other factors. This habit pulls us apart from each other and prevents us from enjoying the little pleasures of life. This story captures the fragility of human trust, and the twist happens when a visually impaired person shows the trust that others are not able to. As with all Red Label films, tea plays an integral role in bringing the two parties together.
The ECD, Akshay Seth, who led this project, has been with the brand for years and gets the pulse of it. The same is true for Nikhil Mohan, our account management partner, our planning partner Prem Narayan and Sainath Chaudhary, the director of the film. The brand lives in all of them and of course the two of us. Coincidentally, this piece also marks ten years of our journey on Swad Apnepan Ka. That makes this film extra special.”
The ad has gained a lot of attention and praise on social media with people calling it creative and heartwarming.
Karthik Srinivasan, a community strategy consultant called this an ‘utopian narrative’ and stirred the debate over the ad’s communication. In a LinkedIn post, he said, “While this ad's narrative appeals to our human nature and look beyond our mutual distrust (particularly when it comes to eatables; talking/interacting with them is a completely different point) of strangers on a train, the real-life examples and lived-in experiences of people go against this utopian narrative.”
Few people also pointed out how the initial few seconds of the ad might mislead the audience into thinking that the man offering chai was actually a creep.
Ganesan Prethi, a creative strategist, called the ad ‘a poignant reminder’ of the importance of looking beyond appearances to discover the essence of people. She said on LinkedIn, “This advertisement not only highlights the brand's commitment to fostering unity but also sparks a conversation on the essential human values of empathy, understanding, and inclusion.”
Nayana MJ, Senior Consultant Intern - Hex Advisory Group, said on LinkedIn, “While this new ad spreads warmth across the strangers in a train and reminding us of our human connection, it's equally important to stay vigilant in the real world.”
Majority of the audience found it on the page of ‘Swaad Apnepan Ka,’ which is Red Label’s tagline. This is not the first time the brand has tried involving an empathising message to its ad. Previous instances include one in a hospital, surrounded by patients, with a woman offering chai to the waiting people.
Another past TVC of the brand during covid-19 promoted #DooriyonMeinApnapan and the message of showing compassion amidst the lockdown, shattering the stigma that being told to 'stay alone' is not the same as being 'left alone'.
In 2014, they launched a campaign depicting a Muslim lady inviting a Hindu couple who had lost their house keys for tea. The commercial sent out a message for Hindu-Muslim unity.
The brand also released a film during International Dwarfism Awareness Month, to help change some misconceptions around people of short stature.
The film shows a young college girl’s friends marvelling at her father’s interest in adventure sports, but are taken aback when they meet him and discover that he is a person of short stature. The resultant awkwardness dissipated over steaming cups of Brooke Bond Red Label tea.
Another one of their past ads also showed the feeling of equality between a boss and his chauffeur while cleverly shedding light on their package change that featured two cups instead of one.
Some of its ads, like the one featuring the Kumbh Mela and the one featuring a hindu buying a Ganesha idol from a muslim did garner a lot of backlash, with #BoycottHindustanUnilever taking X (formerly Twitter) by storm.
However, the brand never stopped breeding its core message of ‘Swaad Apnepan Ka,’ in its advertisements.
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