New Delhi: The year was 1999. The turn of the century saw Y2K scares grip the world, The Matrix vs. Star Wars battle, and the Backstreet Boys burst onto the international music scene.
Closer to home, the Indian TV viewer had finally arrived, wielding a remote and cutting through the vast channel clutter. alleged TV ad spend increased More than 30 percent that year, after being caught in a recessionary spiral for the past few years.
In the midst of live telecasts of Hum Paanch, Shaktimaan, CID, and cricket matches, viewers were introduced to an advertisement on TV, the tagline of which would later become one of the most iconic – ‘Men Will Be Men.’
A surrogate advertisement for Pernod Ricard’s Signature whiskey was launched in the Indian market in 1997. The opposite sex and its male partner.
Speaking to ThePrint, Ritu Sharda, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy North and Nitin Srivastava, Executive Creative Director and Head of Design – Ogilvy North, said that the partnership between iOgilvy and Pernod Ricard dates back to 1996. , Imperial Blue was first heard in the creative corridors of Ogilvy in 1997 and that’s when the tagline we see today – Men Will Be Men, was first spoken. A team at Ogilvy under the guidance of Piyush Pandey fleshed out the idea.
Talking about the idea behind the tagline, he said, “The whiskey market was and is predominantly male-oriented. After that, obviously a lot more. Men, success and comfort form the three major buckets in the word cloud of any whiskey brand operating at the bottom of the whiskey ladder. Liquor advertising in India was also moving towards surrogate advertising after the government’s 1995 rule. At that point Imperial Blue’s position was clear. It was a drink for a man to relax and lighten himself after a hard day’s work. A positioning statement was needed that encapsulated the term cloud and brought forth the product promise in a creative, non-product (read surrogate) way. ‘Men Will Be Men’ seemed like a perfect respite for a man who wanted to be his real self at the end of the day. Combined with a communication that will help him forget his daily grind just as he sips a drink.
Brimming with humor and sarcasm, the advertisements quickly gained immense popularity with the characteristic lyrics of two-line ghazals: pyaar ki raah mein, chalna hai seekh, ishq ki chah mein jalna seekh.
Talking about the jingle, the Ogilvy team said that the commercials didn’t have a signature soundtrack until the “Rose Darling” TVC, which was composed by Piyush Pandey and executed by Prasoon Pandey. It was this ad that brought fame to Imperial Blue advertisements.
The ghazal became so popular among consumers that they said that even watching the ad would give them the mahfi-like atmosphere they were accustomed to during their drinking session. Thus, the ghazal became a mainstay and one of the most recognized tunes in advertising. One of them, he said.
The new ghazal was penned by Team Ogilvy in 2010 for the famous “Anniversary” ad shot by Vinil Mathew. ThePrint was told that this ghazal was composed by Amar Mangurkar.
Over the decades, advertisements have seen their share of both success and criticism. Advertisements featured men by adding in front of a woman in an elevator while in his stomach, a man pretending enjoy classical ghazals with a woman and a man Buying A diamond ring among many others to make their anniversary one to forget.
Speaking to ThePrint, the Ogilvy team said that “the best Imperial Blue ads have been the simplest. One that shows a moment in a man’s life. Once it’s out in front of the public it’s theirs to love, hate, deride. We always aim to stay true to the brand positioning and hit the Ogilvy benchmark year after year. Undoubtedly, it is the responsibility of any creator to be sensitive to prevailing social trends. The fact that Imperial Blue ads have been universally and by both sexes says a lot about not only their popularity but also their acceptability. This is the most expected of Indian advertising and a “guaranteed” viral campaign.
Over the years, the team said a lot has changed. The duration of commercials was reduced to 20 seconds in 2013 from 30 or 45 to increase the frequency of commercials, which used to be a luxury.
“To reference – the time comes, men will be men. This challenge inspired the creative team to create even more magical things. Coming up with a different angle every time is extremely difficult. Just imagine those scripts Which did not make it to the final execution. There are some real gems hidden in there”, the team added while speaking to ThePrint.
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Where do you draw the line?
Advertisements have seen a lot of debate over the portrayal of gender stereotypes and the promotion of misconceptions about women.
Ashutosh, 24, from Mumbai recalled his MBA classes where, during a gender sensitization course, a video on sexual harassment at workplace was played which showed a middle-aged man harassing a woman in a lift and The students unanimously responded by singing this song. Imperial Blue Jingle.
“Advertisements have normalized stalking, flirting and even sexual harassment with such use of background music,” he told ThePrint.
Anviti Singh (29), a journalist based in Delhi, echoes similar views. “I was young when the ad came out but I remember why is the woman in the lift smiling like she knows bad thoughts are going through men’s heads?”
“It makes no sense and has no relevance to the product. (It) makes the opposite sex feel inferior,” says Shreyasi Ganguly, a Bangalore-based HR professional.
For others, the advertisements simply highlight the social conditioning of a patriarchal society.
For Pooja Sengupta, 30, a human resources professional from Mumbai, “advertisements say things that are normal in society.” Speaking to ThePrint, she said, “Despite the fact that these things are very normal in our society, I have not felt angry or repulsed… I think the (Imperial Blue) ad is trying to normalize the sexism/stereotypes of the society.” Let’s try to tap into the idea of while no one bats an eye.
Abhishek (24), a researcher from Ahmedabad, has a similar view. “The ads were relatable, maybe not in scale of opulence and style, but certainly in terms of how aware men are of women, especially of our body postures. Our gestures change even when they are not looking.
He is not alone. Many believe that while finding the ads to range from funny to offensive, he gave his target audience scenarios that were everyday scenes and were relatable.
fulfilling gender stereotypes
While ads have been witty and innovative over the years, Delhi-based Zeba Zoriyah Ahsan, 30, finds that most ads “usually center around the male gaze with a few ounce of chivalry here and there.” He said that in some of these advertisements, buying expensive diamonds for their partners could be interpreted as a sense of guilt. “There is a silent brocode between men that the audience finds amusing as well as strikes a chord with them,” Ahsan told ThePrint.
Advertisements come out every year and last year Seagram’s Imperial Blue packaged drinking water launched a new one in association with Wavemaker India and Colors TV. Campaign Using AI to leave personalized messages.
Dil Ki Dhadkan, his 2020 film, opened up 20 million views on Youtube. The ad shows an unconscious man, his heart palpitating when a female doctor comes to examine him. “The ads assume that all men are heterosexual, promiscuous and anti-feminine. It states that men will be men in ways that all men behave problematically. So why do men get offended when women say That they were harassed and respond with #NotAllMen? asks Anviti.
Asked what the team thinks, he said, “What is wrong is wrong. No one can promote or support something that is grossly objectionable. era”. Whatever is posted out there is fuel to make someone angry. Sometimes, as a society we forget to have a little laugh and sometimes mix the harmless with the harmful. Tends to confuse because negative voices are more welcome than positive ones.
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