Marico's SET WET & Taproot Dentsu launch an imaginative campaign

Marico’s iconic men’s grooming brand - SET WET, in association with Taproot Dentsu, has launched an innovative campaign with its long-time ambassador, Ranveer Singh. The film showcases Ranveer in a pre-historic alter ego and the ingenuity, creativity & cheeky nature of youth today. It further aims to give young men a timely tip on the art of making an impression. The campaign, which has gone live across TV and digital platforms, is also complemented by the debut of an all-new look & packaging for SET WET products.

Created by Taproot Dentsu, a dentsu MB company & the creative agency from the house of dentsu India, the campaign echoes Gen Z’s belief that just because something has always been done in one specific way, does not mean that it is the smartest way. SET WET has played a key role of standing by the young men, helping them showcase the best version of themselves and displaying their innate playful, sexy & charming side with the time-tested motto, ‘Sada Sexy Raho’. Backed by consumer research, the new campaign takes its motto a step further and showcases that Gen Zs today would do things differently than the older generations. As a Gen Z respondent, it is quite aptly put when Ranveer Singh says, ‘Sure, our previous generations had to go through a lot, I get that, but that doesn’t mean whatever they did was ideal.’ To make this point, the TVC depicts a rather cheeky exaggeration along with a dash of irreverence, a trait that is second nature to Gen Z. What makes it different from the typical grooming product narrative is that it consciously stays away from the swooning-girl trope. Ranveer Singh, who is the long-time brand ambassador of Marico’s SET WET range, is seen playing a dual role here.

The TVC opens with Ranveer Singh as a caveman impressing the men and women surrounding him by protecting them from a Saber-toothed cat and the weather through a display of his strength & ingenuity. We then see the pre-historic Ranveer Singh come face to face with the Modern-day Ranveer, who is getting ready for a party with his friends. Pre-historic Ranveer is taken aback by modern Ranveer, who is prepping to impress people with his confidence at the party by styling his hair with SET WET, which baffles the former. Modern Ranveer goes on to explain to the pre-historic Ranveer, that today, a man does not need to show his sexiness through overt displays of strength and intelligence, rather they should be confident and should be able to carry that confidence with them wherever they go, to be sexy. He explains how SET WET helps him become his true ‘sexy’ confident self, with the familiar ‘Sada Sexy Raho’ motto playing in the back.

Speaking on this new campaign, Koshy George, Chief Marketing Officer, Marico Limited said, “As a youth-centred brand, SET WET has always strived to echo the mindset of our consumers. Today’s generation has prided themselves on finding the best and most unique solution to their problems and we aimed to take that ideal a step further with this new campaign. Together with the iconic and beloved Ranveer Singh, this campaign elaborates on the resourcefulness, uniqueness, creativity, and cheeky nature of our consumers, showing how they can be the sexiest version of themselves.”

Talking about the inspiration behind the film, Ayesha Ghosh, CEO, Taproot Dentsu added, “A brand whose baseline is ‘Sada Sexy Raho’ and whose brand ambassador is a livewire, usually means that the campaign development is a rollicking ride, all the hard work notwithstanding. Add to that Team SET WET were just as keen as us to break the mould of the conventional grooming product ad. Once Yogesh Rijhwani, the ECD who conceptualised this ad, landed the prehistoric man comparison, Ranveer's flair for pulling off unexpected characters and director Rajiv Rao's effortless style of storytelling took the idea to the next level.”