Ranveer Singh dons a prehistoric avatar in SET WET’s new ad

Conceptualised by Taproot Dentsu, the ad features all sorts of unexpected ingredients: a prehistoric Singh, a saber-toothed tiger and time travel.

Marico’s men grooming brand SET WET has launched a campaign with actor and ambassador Ranveer Singh. The campaign shows Singh in a prehistoric avatar. It showcases the ingenuity, creativity and cheeky nature of today’s youth, and aims to give young men a timely tip on the art of making an impression.

The campaign will go live across TV and digital platforms. SET WET products will also be available in new packaging.

Created by Taproot Dentsu, the campaign echoes the Gen Z belief that just because something has always been done one way, doesn’t mean it is the smartest way. Gen Z like to do things differently than older generations.

As a Gen Z respondent put it quite aptly when he said, “Sure, our previous generations had to go through a lot, I get that, but that doesn’t mean whatever they did was ideal.”

To make this point, the TVC depicts a rather cheeky exaggeration, along with a dash of irreverence, a trait that is second nature to Gen Z. What makes it different from the typical grooming product narrative is that it consciously stays away from the swooning girl trope. Singh is seen playing a dual role here.

Speaking on the new campaign, Koshy George, chief marketing officer, Marico, said "... Today’s generation has prided themselves on finding the best and most unique solution to their problems, and we aimed to take that ideal, a step further with this new campaign. Together with the iconic and beloved Ranveer Singh, this campaign elaborates on the resourcefulness, uniqueness, creativity and cheeky nature of our consumers, showing how they can be the sexiest version of themselves."

The TVC opens with Singh as caveman, impressing the men and women surrounding him by protecting them from a saber-toothed cat and the weather through a display of his strength and ingenuity. Then, we see the prehistoric avatar of the actor come face to face with his modern-day one, who is getting ready for a party with his friends. The prehistoric character is taken aback by modern Singh, who is prepping to impress people with his confidence at the party by styling his hair with SET WET, which baffles the former.

Modern Singh explains that today, a man doesn’t need to show his sexiness through overt displays of strength and intelligence, rather they should be confident and carry that confidence with them wherever they go, to be sexy. He explains how SET WET helps him become his true 'sexy' confident self, with the familiar 'Sada Sexy Raho' motto playing in the back.

Commenting on the film, Ayesha Ghosh, CEO, Taproot Dentsu, said, "A brand whose baseline is 'Sada Sexy Raho' and whose brand ambassador is a livewire, usually means that campaign development is a rollicking ride, all the hard work notwithstanding. Add to that, team SET WET were just as keen as us to break the mould of the conventional grooming product ad."

"Once Yogesh Rijhwani, the ECD who conceptualised this ad, landed the prehistoric man comparison, Ranveer's flair for pulling off unexpected characters and director Rajiv Rao's effortless style of storytelling, took the idea to the next level."

Taproot Dentsu agency credits

Chief executive officer: Ayesha Ghosh

Executive creative director: Yogesh Rijhwani

Associate creative director: Arshad Shaikh

Chief strategy officer: Shashank Lanjekar

Senior planning director: Roshni Shroff

Vice president, account management: Amit Murthy

Account director: Hemant Joshi

Film credits

Production house: Nirvana Films

Director: Rajiv Rao

Producer: Marjorie Rodrigues (Marj)

Post-production supervisor: Abhishek Singh