JSW Group breaks down gender stereotypes; salutes women with ‘Will of Steel’

JSW Group has rolled out a campaign titled, ‘Will of Steel’.  The campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather.

 

Embodying everything JSW Group stands for, the film is a testament to inner strength shown by women. The commercial is the true story of Geeta Phogat, Indian’s first woman to win a gold medal in wrestling at Commonwealth Games in 2010.

 

Hailing from the conservative and patriarchal village of Balali in Haryana, the film is based on her real life exploits and how she overcame societal norms, broke gender stereotypes and fought severe resistance as she wrestled her way to showcasing true grit and determination.

 

The film has been shot in Balali (Phogat’s village) and Delhi. It follows Phogat as she trains to be the best at her sport. We hear the voice of an angry tau (a village senior) who speaks about what girls are traditionally expected to do.

 

The film ends with a shot of a victorious Phogat standing on the podium. This is  followed by a super of the JSW Group.

 

 

Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director and group CFO, JSW Group, said, “Geeta Phogat displayed a rare will of steel and her efforts and life-story are the inspiration for this campaign. By showcasing Geeta’s ‘Will Of Steel’ via a mass media campaign, we hope to inspire and encourage more and more people to overcome challenges in life.”

  

Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather, said, “I am proud  that Ogilvy & Mather is associated with this campaign of JSW Group, which captures the spirit and power of the Indian woman. It is a great step in unleashing Indian women from the grip of our male chauvinistic society. This is only the beginning, watch out for more in this campaign.”

 

Navin Talreja, president, Mumbai and Kolkata, Ogilvy& Mather said, “We are very excited about #WillOfSteel because it clearly is not a one-off campaign idea but a big brand platform that will help us create new age modern dynamic content enabling higher degree of consumer engagement and involvement in a category that is often ignored.”

 

Sukesh Nayak, executive creative director, O&M Advertising – Mumbai, said,  “For JSW Group’s brand campaign we wanted a human story. A story that would humanise the strength of steel and what it means in real life. Geeta’s story was a perfect match. Her steely resolve drove her to succeed in spite of all the opposition. She is the perfect person to launch our brand thought of #WillOfSteel.”

 

This campaign will be supported with 360 surround elements like digital, PR and activation, and is expected to run up to March 2015.

 

Credits

 

Client: JSW Group

Creative agency: Ogilvy & Mather

National creative director: Rajiv Rao

President, Mumbai and Kolkata: Navin Talreja

Executive creative director: Sukesh Nayak

Senior creative director: Talha Nazim

Planning: Ganapathy Balagopalan

Account management: Tresa Paul, Shivali Nair, Drashti Buch, Amar Kondekar, Prachi Tater, Naman Shrivastava

Production house: Curious Productions

Director: Vivek Kakkad

Producer: Shahzad Bhagwagar