Sleek ad puts dad-son duo in kitchen

In a 50-second spot, the kitchen hardware brand from the house of Asian Paints attempts to degenderise the kitchen space.

Kitchen and wardrobe solutions brand, Sleek, from the house of Asian Paints, has joined BIBA, Keya Foods, Havells, UIL Kashmir, and Nestle-owned Maggi in degenderising the kitchen space in ad-land. Since becoming a part of the Asian Paints family, the Mumbai-based brand has released its first advertising campaign - 'Modern Kitchens for Modern Minds'.

Modern Kitchens for Modern Minds TVC by Sleek

The TVC, released as part of this campaign, is a slice from the everyday life of a progressive couple. The father, and son in the film are seen navigating and working in the kitchen with ease and finesse.

Pragyan Kumar

Pragyan Kumar, VP-Home Improvement Business, Asian Paints, says, "Today, the kitchen is no longer just a woman's domain. We see a very high level of involvement from couples in the design to execution projects that we have taken up. We wanted to move away from the conventional way of portraying only women in kitchens. The communication focuses on the entire family, helping out in the kitchen and how even a child is comfortable lending a helping hand."

Speaking about the challenges faced in the market, he says, "The Kitchen, as a category, has lesser brand penetration than other segments. There are many unorganised players and carpenters. Only select brands have a pan India presence. From the entry segment, which is an upgrade from carpenter kitchens to designer finishes in the luxury segment, each segment has its set of challenges. One needs to cater to them all."

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Madison BMB, the advertising unit of Madison World, has ideated and executed the TVC.

Rajgopal Nair

Rajgopal Nair, CEO and creative head, Madison BMB, tells afaqs!, "The communication needed to showcase the fact that Sleek Kitchens brings a high level of sophistication and functionality to spaces, making them more efficient and thus, modern. What also went into the brief were consumer insights from research where respondents equated modular kitchens with openness and modernity."

Kim Solomon

Kim Solomon, chief operating officer, Madison BMB added, "The story of a young couple being positively impacted by the modernity of the kitchen seemed like the ideal way to convey the message. We metaphorically turned the kitchen into a classroom where the little boy seamlessly learned life lessons that could help turn him into a better man."

The 360-degree campaign is currently focusing on the south markets of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and will, in the later phases, focus on other geographic areas.

Reportedly, Asian Paints acquired 51 per cent stake in Sleek International in August 2013 and the remaining 49 per cent in December 2017. The brand sees competition from Ebco, Haecker, Kohler, Evok, Hafele, Hettich, and Godrej Interio.

Navin Theeng

Navin Theeng, executive creative director, Havas Gurgaon, commenting on the idea and execution of the ad says, "It's 'Share the Load' for kitchens. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. What could have been a product story about various cabinetry and such has been turned into a pertinent point of view about changing 'masculine' roles. The kitchen is traditionally seen as the woman's domain, even at a time when women have stepped into roles far beyond it. So, for a kitchen brand to speak about and normalise a man's role in it, is the right step, marketing-wise. It taps into the popular, forward-thinking narrative that 'New India' symbolises."

He adds, "This point-of-view is not mass; it certainly targets a different TG than the 'Wah Sunil Babu' Asian Paints ad, but it will find traction in the metros. The brand-based narrative will also help Sleek stand out from the product-based narrative of Hafele, Haecker and others."

Nima Namchu

Nima Namchu, former chief creative officer, Havas Worldwide India, feels that the commercial establishes the brand as a modern kitchen outfitter quite competently by positioning it as the choice of the progressive, modern Indian family. He says, "I love the fact that the kitchen is shown as the place of learning and growing up. These days we find quite a few men in the kitchen. Some because they enjoy it and others because it looks great on Instagram and Facebook. Thankfully this commercial treats the man in the kitchen as the most natural thing in the world.

"'Modern Kitchens for Modern Minds' is a rich space. While this commercial carries the burden of having to present the brand's point of view as well as showcase the product features, one can easily see a series of commercials that could follow. A series of endearing stories about modern Indian families set in the kitchen, where the brand plays the silent, but critical role as a supporting actor as well as that of a stage, could follow," he adds.

CREDITS

Creative

Raj Nair, CEO & Chief Creative Officer

Rohan Joseph, Creative Director

Vinod Rakhade, Associate Creative Director

Account Management

Kim Solomon, COO

Sharon Faria, Account Manager

Director

Harsha Rao