Dove, Bru and Victoris get The Family Man treatment through contextual ads

New Delhi: The Family Man on Prime Video is emerging as a test bed for contextual advertising, as a clutch of large advertisers embed themselves into the show’s universe with character-led films and co-branded assets instead of standard 30-second spots.

As Season 3 streams on the platform, Hindustan Unilever’s Dove Men+Care, Bru Gold and Maruti Suzuki’s Victoris have all rolled out work that borrows directly from the series’ characters, tone and narrative world.

The idea is clear: if viewers are coming for Srikant Tiwari and his world, brands want to speak in a language that feels native to that universe. But the experiments also raise questions about how far integrations can go before the line between content and advertising starts to blur for audiences.

Dove’s collaboration is the most explicit character use so far. In a conversational, interview-style film, Manoj Bajpayee appears as Srikant Tiwari and is positioned against familiar masculine clichés. The narrative gently nudges him from the “rugged, indifferent” stereotype towards a more emotionally present, caring “Dove Man,” plugging into Dove Men+Care’s ongoing masculinity platform while staying recognisably in character.

Bru Gold has gone beyond film into packaging, with a limited-edition Family Man Season 3 pack in the market. The coffee brand backs this with creatives that lean on the show’s spy-thriller mood while pushing a “rich flavour” upgrade. 

The association is further amplified via influencers such as Be You Nick, who feature the Family Man-branded packs in social content, adding another layer of distribution beyond Prime Video.

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Maruti Suzuki, meanwhile, uses The Family Man as a frame for its Victoris campaign. The work draws a parallel between the car’s “#GotItAll” proposition and Srikant’s multitasking persona as a family man, intelligence officer, and reluctant hero to dramatise the feature set. Here again, the writing and performance sit close to the show’s established treatment.

All of this is playing out in the context of Prime Video’s relatively new ad-supported environment in India. Since mid-2025, the service has introduced advertising with a promise of “limited” breaks and, according to buyers, runs significantly fewer minutes of ads per hour than linear TV. In theory, that makes every placement more valuable and creates a stronger incentive for brands to try higher-attention formats such as contextual integrations.

For advertisers, these experiments offer a way to ride an existing fandom, cut through ad fatigue and make performance-led platforms like coffee or cars feel more conversational. For streaming platforms, they open up new monetisation surfaces without dramatically increasing ad load.

However, industry observers also point out potential downsides. As more brands start to insert themselves into popular IP, there is a risk of overuse, creative sameness and viewer pushback if integrations feel forced or if labelling is unclear. 

There are also open questions around measurement. While such contextual pieces may drive recall and social chatter, tying them back to business outcomes is more complex than standard reach-and-frequency campaigns.

For now, The Family Man sits at the centre of this experimentation because it offers both scale and a distinctive, well-loved lead character that brands can write around. Whether these integrations are seen by audiences as smart, additive storytelling or as unwelcome brand intrusions will ultimately decide how aggressively contextual advertising inside premium series grows from here.