Dabur Red villainises Johnny Bravo-esque caricature in new ad

An extension of the brand's 'Chabaatey Raho India' campaign, the ad aims to promote homegrown brands.

Remember the animated sunglasses-wearing, muscular young man from Cartoon Network – Johnny Bravo? Yes, the one with yellow spiked hair. Well, we have spotted his doppelganger. Where? In Dabur Red’s new ad.

In the over minute-long film, the toothpaste brand villainises Bravo’s lookalike, who’s referred to as ‘Mr. Videshi’ (it means ‘Mr. Foreigner’ in English).

In the ad, which opens with, “Kabhi aapne socha hai ki jo aap chabaa rahein hain, uska profit koi aur chabaa raha hai”, Mr. Videshi is positioned as the foreigner who’s selling his (brand’s) products in our country. As the infographic ad rolls, it states that the products of Mr. Videshi’s brand are found in every household, and disrupt the supply chain of local brands.

The ad, which aims to promote homegrown brands, says, “Yahin ugao, yahin banao, aur yahin chabaao’ (produce here, manufacture here, consumer here). It ends with the message that India’s economy should be pushed further, and local brands should be promoted across borders.

Sharing the film on YouTube, Dabur Dental Care wrote, "As proud Indians, let’s all buy homegrown products, and help our local industries and economy grow from strength to strength."

The ad is a part of the brand's 'Chabaatey Raho India' series. Last month (in August), Dabur had released three new films as part of this series, featuring 'Chaubey Ji'. We first saw him at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he would eat a popular food item from India's opponent (nation) before a match. For example, against Pakistan, 'Chaubey Ji' 'destroys' our neighbour's famous 'akhrots' (walnuts) because he uses Dabur Red Paste, which makes his teeth so strong that #SabkoChabaJaayenge.