'A story of human relationships will always be relevant'

Why is it my best campaign
I am sure by now everyone has seen the television commercial of 18Again, a vaginal tightening gel. Liked it. Hated it. Loved it. Discussed it. Banned it. Accused it. Complimented it. The list of reactions go on and on. But this is one brand and campaign that I am truly proud to be associated with. Being a part of media, it is one of those opportunities where I got to bring at least a small thinking shift to societal moral issues.

People at least spoke about things they never had before openly. The team work and the client partnership just flowed seamlessly. My day was made when I got appreciation from my mentors and three people I respect most in the industry KS Chakravarthy, KV Sridhar and R Balki. I could not have asked for more, especially since this was our very first popular campaign after we started Curry-Nation.

I know most of the time this column features older campaigns — someone would have done a memorable campaign and shares fond memories of that. Fortunately, I am most proud of the work I have done recently and there are many reasons for that.

Brief to the agency
It was one of the most challenging briefs I’ve had as it was for a vaginal tightening cream. In this country, no one says the word ‘vagina’ aloud and a category like this had never before been created. For the first time, a product that empowers women sexually and clinically has come to the market. There had never been a women’s product to enhance her sexual experience and make her feel good — all the products in the market were for men to make them feel more manly. This was the first of its kind.

After the brief, we cracked and executed the communication in a way that sensitively balanced the issue (there will be people who disagree but hey, they are everywhere) and communicated the brand promise.

Problems and challenges
The challenge was huge. First and foremost: how to present the brand. How do we clearly communicate, at the same time be engaging and not show anything in poor taste? We had a brave client, who was willing to first come up with a product such as this and who, quite understanably, then, didn’t want to leave any stone unturned in marketing.

Options considered
We were very clear about not showing some sad abla nari lamenting the loss of spark in her sex life a few years after marriage — a done-to-death ad film template of rejection and acceptance. Cosmetic product advertising follows a similar template too often. We wanted happiness and celebration as the personality tone and core for the communication.

We thought it will be best to let the woman lead the equation and the man to follow. The routes varied from doing something in a historic era to testimonials but somehow they did not seem to do justice to the product innovation. They would be passed off as just one of those many ads.

Route chosen and why
Finally, we zeroed in on an idea that instantly clicked with us and the client — salsa in a sari. It was culturally very Indian but with an unexpected Western twist to the storyline. Plus, it communicated the brand and what it stood for without any doubt. As a creative person, I was very excited to shoot the ‘salsa in a sari’ film. Also, there was an underlying humour that flowed through the TVC, which is what I feel makes it engaging. There was a lot we could do with relationships and interactions plus performances. The scope of making the communication rounded was huge. The film was supported by a multimedia campaign.

Outcome
Well, I have been overwhelmed by the response. I have never seen an absolutely new brand being talked about this much in just one week. It will be foolish to not mention that there were both positive and negative comments but the brand was talked about.

There were open discussions, debates and words like “vagina” and “virgin” jumped out of the closet into public spaces. All in all, the quality and quantity of the positive response outnumbered the expected negative response by far.

Will it work in the future?
Why not? A story of human relationships will always be relevant. All I hope is that Indian society becomes progressive in terms of addressing similar issues. Eventually, it’s about bringing a change in perception.

Priti Nair
Co-founder, Curry-Nation