Dabur Gulabari shatters stereotype with social experiment, starring 13-year-old mountaineer

Dabur Gulabari, a skin care brand from the house of Dabur, has taken on gender stereotyping with a campaign on the theme ‘Why should tough girls look tough?’ The campaign conceptualised by Contract Advertising is led by a social experiment captured on film.

 

A group of selected people were asked to choose the hobby of a young girl from placards handed to them. The girl’s picture was projected on the screen. The responses ranged from ballet, painting, baking, violin and knitting. The respondents were in for a surprise as the girl made an entry into the room.  It is revealed that the girl they perceived as ‘delicate’ and ‘artistic’ has mountaineering for a hobby. The 13-year-old Jaahnavi Sriperumbuduru, had already climbed the highest peaks in Africa and Europe, they are informed. Sriperumbuduru holds up a placard with the campaign’s theme ‘Why should tough girls look tough?’ before the brand signs off with the #AmPrettyTough and the message ‘Let’s look beyond looks’.

 

An official statement revealed that Dabur Gulabari, a brand that has been around ‘for decades’, repositioned itself as a teenage expert in the last two years, diversifying into various skincare products aimed at the new TG.

 

Minoo Phakey, head of marketing skin and salon business, Dabur, said, “Dabur Gulabari speaks to the teenage girl who is suddenly overwhelmed by new choices and vulnerable to people’s opinions and judgements. Dabur Gulabari empowers the young teenage girls to continue to pursue their tough passions without worrying about their skin.”

 

Mayur Hola, EVP and ECD, Contract Advertising, said, “This one is for our daughters. We try as parents to give them an upbringing that allows them to develop as they wish to. Be who they want to be. But ultimately we are to blame for heaping pinks and dollhouses on them. We are the cliché.”

 

He added, “The client gave us this opportunity to correct a part of ourselves and I hope a part of the viewing audience with this skin care project. Our first question to each other hence was why should communication for skin care be like communication for skin care? The result is this piece with the help of this impressive young mountaineer we found. Early trends certainly suggest that we might have made an impression. Now to push it even further with our successive efforts.” 

 

V Bhaskar Preenja, SVP – account management, Contract Advertising, added, “In challenging negatives that affect our TG, we are building a positive relationship with them. This was the primary intent of the film, and I see that the subject is resonating well with teenage girls.”

 

The film went live on the brand’s YouTube channel on 21 January 2016.

 

 

Credits

 

Client: Dabur

Brand: Dabur Gulabari

Agency: Contract Advertising

Creative: Ashish Chakravarty, Mayur Hola, Madhumita Deb, Ritu Sinha, Kavita Ojha, Sugato Roy

Account management: V Bhaskar Preenja, Viksit Jain

Production House: Inglorious Films

Director (film): Norten Menezes

Director of photography: Hari Vedantam

Producer: Niraj Kothari