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As he dons new innerwear, Ranbir Kapoor has two words for you

afaqs!, Mumbai and Suraj Ramnath

20 Jul 2017 05:30 IST

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As he dons new innerwear, Ranbir Kapoor has two words for you

A look at the latest spot by Macroman.

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Kolkata based Rupa and Company, that produces an entire range of knitted garments from innerwear to casual wear has recently launched a new digital campaign, 'Live Open', for its premium innerwear, sportswear and leisure-wear brand, Macroman M-Series. The ad film, featuring Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, has been conceptualised by Publicis Ambience.

Macroman M Series' new TVC - Live OpenTalking about the business objective, Vikash Agarwal, president and brand director, Macroman and Macrowoman, says, "The business objective is to connect with the youth. Our core TG is 18-35 male and female, so yes, we are targeting the youth and they are the ones who drive this segment."

Vikash Agarwal

Paritosh SrivastavaCurrently, the brand is promoting the ad on the digital platform. The film was uploaded on YouTube on July 17. The brand has plans to promote it on TV in the near future along with print and outdoor ads.

Talking about the challenge, Paritosh Srivastava, chief operating officer, Publicis Ambience, says, "The only challenge was how to sound credible in this category of briefs and vests. A lot of celebrities do it and do a lot of ridiculous stuff and our agenda was not to fall into the trap of another celebrity doing some ridiculous stuff. The good thing was that Ranbir was aligned with that idea and we were not looking at a stereotypical thing. Also, we thought about whether he can bring belief into what we are saying and the fact that we were trying to talk to the youth and tell them not to bother about people who are judgemental. We have not gone into unnecessary glorification. We have stuck to the script and delivered the message."

The brand's core TG is Male, 18-35 - the affluent lot from metros and non-metros. Publicis Ambience will soon release an ad for Macrowoman.

An old ad by Macroman M Series featuring Hrithik RoshanIn the past, Hrithik Roshan was the brand ambassador for Macroman.

When it comes to advertising, the underwear-baniyaan segment in this market has been about machismo, brute strength and winning for a long time. This ad by Macroman takes it into a slightly new territory.

We asked our experts to comment on the execution and whether the sexy quotient is justified or makes it look like a condom ad.

Arko Provo Bose

Akshat BhardwajArko Provo Bose, group creative director, Lowe Lintas, says, "It definitely pushed the boundaries at an execution level vis a vis other ads in the segment, but the attempt to attain a fashion label vibe did stay hidden under the testosterone driven images. There was nothing new that hasn't been said before."

He adds, "Numbers will tell you that the 'sexy quotient' works in this category. But a scantily clad youth icon and a dusky beauty by his side, simmering in the intensity of intimacy is the algorithm that every condom commercial follows. So does every run-of-the-mill deodorant ad. And the garnish of grayscale to keep it premium has been overused lately. 'Live Open' is nice but the commercial along with its corresponding voice over fails to capture the essence of the same. Looks good. Sounds heard."

Akshat Bhardwaj, creative director, DigitasLBi, Mumbai, says, "I think it's a welcome change. Going from machismo to open mindedness might seem like a new take on the category, but it isn't really. True machismo is no different from being truly open minded."

Bharadwaj adds, "I think the 'sexy quotient' is fine, but I am not sure if it has been explored to its full potential, or if it has been showcased in the best possible way. It would have served the ad better had it been it a little less aggressive and a little more cheeky."

A look at some of the ads that the other brands have done in this category.