Alcohol brand Imperial Blue utilized surrogate advertising to promote its music CDs across Indian television networks. The brand partnered with agency Ogilvy to bypass direct liquor marketing regulations by broadcasting a series of short situational comedy spots. The executions rely entirely on visual storytelling and human vanity without using spoken dialogue.
The creative isolates specific everyday male behaviours inside everyday physical spaces. The commercial series features men sucking in their stomachs in an elevator alongside a female passenger before exhaling in relief when she leaves. Another scenario shows two husbands in a supermarket crashing their shopping carts because they are mutually distracted by each other’s wives. A third spot depicts office workers rigidly watching a clock until the end of the workday but instantly pretending to work hard when an attractive female colleague walks past their desks.
Imperial Blue anchored these visual comedies with the “Men Will Be Men” tagline and a custom ghazal audio track. The execution turns universal physical insecurities and distractions into direct brand associations. The surrogate music CD proposition passes regulatory broadcasting standards while the relatable humor secures strong recall value with the target demographic.
Campaign Name: Men Will Be Men
Agency Name: Ogilvy
Brand Name: Imperial Blue
Location: India
