Ponds launched the “Sun Portraits” campaign to demonstrate the physical effects of prolonged sun exposure on human skin. The brand selected Phalodi in Rajasthan as the location for this outdoor activation. The district records temperatures up to 51 degrees Celsius and represents one of the hottest environments in India. The outdoor execution targeted local women who work outside for extended hours without using sunscreen.
Ogilvy India commissioned traditional Phad artists to paint large scale portraits of local women directly onto the exterior walls of their homes. The creative team replaced standard exterior paint with a specialized UV sensitive formula. This specific paint was chemically designed to degrade and fade when exposed to direct sunlight over several days.
As the desert sun hit the walls, the painted faces began to physically erode and lose their structural integrity. The fading murals served as a literal demonstration of the cellular damage caused by unprotected UV exposure. The physical execution transformed ordinary building walls into a real time visual representation of environmental wear. The brand paired this visual decay with physical product distribution to increase sunscreen adoption in a market where national usage remains below three percent.
Campaign Name: “Sun Portraits”
Agency Name: Ogilvy India
Brand Name: Ponds
Location: Rajasthan, India
