We’re so used to certain face structures and skin tones, even a slight deviation from the norm makes us sit and take notice.
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Surf Excel’s new ad does not differ much from its many earlier versions. Kid dirties her clothes because she wants to help a family member, worries arise about stains, but moms know better because Surf Excel can get rid of the stains easily.
What’s different about this one is the presence of an entirely north-eastern cast. As viewers, we’re so used to certain facial symmetry that this ad pops out from the rest. “If the cast would have been north Indian or south Indian, you wouldn’t have asked this question,” says Shayondeep Pal, regional creative officer, Lowe Lintas. He tells us it was them (the agency) that pitched the idea to Surf Excel which came on board right away.
Pal remarks that somewhere this change was needed but “but not to make a statement that oh look we’re being inclusive… We’re a vast country, we’re looking for actors from different parts of the country… we’re used to seeing a set of actors across brands so how do you change that format, that was the whole idea?”
Equinox Films, the ad’s production house, quotes its director Deb Medhekar:
“How many times? How many times!!! Have we as filmmakers tried to pitch a client the idea of situating a film in a particular place, a particular community! All we ever heard in return is that the film has to work “Pan India”. So this time when the good people at Lowe wrote a film that was placed in the hills and said the client was keen on a casting in the North East I was ecstatic!”
Credits:
CLIENT (BRAND) - SURF EXCEL (HUL)
AGENCY - LOWE LINTAS
CREATIVE TEAM - PRATEEK BHARDWAJ, SHAYONDEEP PAL, AP ZETH, ADITYA TRIPATHI, AMIT PARIKH
SERVICING TEAM - KUNAL JOSHI, KASTURI SENGUPTA, DEEPAK KARNAD
PRODUCTION CO & CITY - EQUINOX FILMS PVT LTD., MUMBAI
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