What does it mean to ‘Be a man?’ Bollywood star
Ayushmann Khurrana, who has defied stereotypes to become the face of content
cinema in India, & Naezy - India’s No 1
rap/hip-hop artist have teamed up with World’s Number 1
Deodorant Axe, India’s leading digital platform Arré and Mindshare, the largest
media agency from GroupM to find answers to this question. The music video
features the stories of Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, Dance Superstar
Dharmesh Yelande, YouTube Sensation ‘BeYouNick’ and the Made in Heaven actor
Shashank Arora.
The collaboration song called ‘Ab Teri Baari’ is a
strong call to action for Indian guys to stop worrying about the rules of
society and the dreaded ‘Log kya kahenge’ and focus on finding what makes them
unique instead. Built around Axe’s brand purpose of inspiring guys to express
their individuality and becoming their most attractive selves, the song mirrors
the brand’s communication platform of ‘Make Your Own Rules’
A Music Video with A Power Packed Roster of
Influencers
Ayushmann Khurrana & Naezy who are performing
together for the first time have co-created an incredibly catchy song composed
by Clinton Cerejo that brings alive the personal stories of Sunil Chhetri,
Dharmesh Yelande, ‘BeYouNick’ and Shashank Arora.
Defying the ‘Stereotypes’
Sunil Chettri exemplifies that ‘It’s Ok for A Guy
to Share His Emotions’. We all remember the iconic moment where his heartfelt
request to fans to come and support the Indian Football team’s matches lead to
an outpouring of love and support across the country.
Youtuber ‘BeYouNick’ stands testament to the fact
that in today’s changing world guys can explore their passions, make a career
out of it and be successful because they are doing what they love.
Dharmesh Yelande, a man who has redefined dance
with his signature dance moves inspires guys to not worry statements like
‘Dance Like A Man’ because there is no such way of dance and encapsulates it
perfectly with his dance moves and his line ‘Karun Bharatanatyam ya Karun mai
Zumba’
Actor Shashank Arora laughs off the ‘Men Must be
Macho’ mantra and charms his way through with his statement “6
pack nahi lekin heart mera tiger,’ an attitude that has helped him in his
journey to becoming the man that he is today.
New Age of Branded Collaboration
A truly collaborative effort between Hindustan
Unilever’s iconic deodorant brand Axe and leading new age digital platform
Arré; Ab Teri Baari is a great example of the intersection between a brand’s
ideology and a platform’s creativity in creating impactful branded content. The
song will be out across Arre’s social media platforms and partner network.
Talking about the concept, Nippun Aneja, General
Manager Deodorants & Men’s Grooming at Hindustan Unilever Limited
explained, “Many boys in India still feel an overwhelming pressure to conform
to masculine stereotypes. There are many said & unsaid rules on how to ‘Be
a Man’ - The way you look, the way you act & interact with your peers; even
your career choices & hobbies are being judged through the lens of being
‘masculine enough.’
We want young guys to feel free from the pressures
of these ‘rules’, discover what makes them unique and work on it. Axe believes
that expressing your individuality is what makes a guy attractive, so go ahead
‘Make Your Own Rules’ and be the best version of yourself.”
Ayushmann Khurrana added, “If you look at my
career choices, I have always fought labelling. I have tried, in my own way, to
create a path for myself and not walk on the path that I was told to walk on.
Yes, it was tougher to create my own identity but today, looking back at my
journey, it was necessary and definitely worth it. As soon as I heard the
concept of Ab Teri Baari, I immediately wanted to collaborate because it
appealed to me strongly. The song reflects how I have lived my life and my own
career choices that challenged conformism. The song demolishes stereotypes and
calls out for inclusivity that this society so desperately needs.”
Naezy commented on the song “This anthem is
something that would resonate with every individual. We have all been
stereotyped at one point in time. So, this anthem is dedicated to everyone who
is trying to make their life on their own terms.”
Jaideep Singh, Director Arrè commented, “As a
platform and a voice that has led gender-based conversations for the youth over
the last few years, Arre is stoked to have conceptualized this initiative with
Axe. This campaign is a perfect showcase of content and brand seamlessly
engaging with the youth in a conversation that is important to them. Arre has
developed this unique campaign with spectacular coming together of talent and
impeccable creative execution with top of the line production values and a
brilliant delivery plan across multiple platforms.”
Commenting on this, Ajay Mehta, Vice President,
Content+, Mindshare said, “Axe has always been an iconic youth brand with
communication deep rooted in Pop culture. The idea was to use Music & more
importantly Hip Hop as a genre which has been recently quite popular among the
younger audiences. While Ayushmann & Naezy have given their voice, the
music video features some of the top influencers who not only resonate with the
brand but are real-life examples. Each of them have a unique story to tell
which brings alive the brand’s narrative in a compelling manner. It’s a
light-hearted piece of content which is fun, catchy yet inspiring.”
