Mountain Dew’s 'Courage has no bias' campaign inspires freedom from gender bias in India

The ad film features a lead female protagonist to outline Mountain Dew's belief that courage transcends gender boundaries.

Mountain Dew, a beverage brand, is celebrating India’s Independence Day with a powerful new campaign, Courage has no bias. This campaign underscores the importance of breaking free from gender stereotypes and championing the true spirit of courage.

As the brand that resonates most with courage, Mountain Dew is honouring the bold spirit that is not defined by a gender through this campaign, thus encouraging Indians to attain freedom from our biases.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a TVC that features a parkour challenge. In the TVC, three hooded athletes approach a tall ledge. Two of them hesitate and back off, however the protagonist, after taking a sip of Mountain Dew, the ‘Courage sip’, decides to take the leap. The athlete successfully lands with a Mountain Dew bottle, and it is revealed that the athlete is a woman, surprising everyone who assumed otherwise.

In a teaser experiment conducted on the Mountain Dew Instagram page, only a part of the film was revealed showing only the protagonist's decision to leap and not the outcome and viewers were asked to guess how the story would unfold. Remarkably, over 80% respondents assumed the protagonist was male, highlighting prevalent gender biases.

Mountain Dew has launched this campaign at a time when we see sporting events being owned by the women athletes, which not just true for India but world over. The campaign has been celebrated by several celebrities and sportspersons echoing the same sentiment as they shared the ad citing their personal experiences and observations around shedding biases.

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Commenting on the TVC, Akankshaa Dalal, category head, Mountain Dew, PepsiCo India, said, “Mountain Dew has consistently celebrated Courage and this Independence Day, we are celebrating the true courage driven by adrenaline and determination, not limited to any gender. We are excited to launch this campaign, Mountain Dew’s first film with a female lead protagonist. We are optimistic that consumers all over the country will enjoy this film and its spirit.”

The new Mountain Dew campaign and TVC will be amplified across digital and social media with a 360-degree campaign. Mountain Dew is available across modern and traditional retail outlets as well as on leading e-commerce platforms.