A Whiff To Kill

What if one good whiff of your scent was all it took to sweep someone, anyone, off their feet? Wild Stone seems to promise that in its newest ad, a sequel to its ‘Kunaaal’ series where you have a young man seemingly attracting all sorts of people merely by his proximity to them, allowing them to take a good, if unintentional sniff at him. In this particular ad, Kunal, by virtue of this aphrodisiac deodorant, is able to overcome the “strictness” of his female friend’s mother and attract her, who then insists he call her by her first name.

A bold concept to undertake indeed, but Ranju Mohan, president, McNroe Consumer Products, owes it to the evolving audience who are much more open to the idea of sexuality today. “The interpretation of any campaign varies with the audience. Our intention is not the objectification of women, and I don’t think any brand can afford to offend its consumers. The point is to integrate real-life situation in the right manner, which is what Wild Stone has done with the Kunal series,” he says.

Wild Stone has come a long way from its earlier ad campaigns, which focused on varying forms of sensuality. Taking that into account, the latest is quite a breather. While seduction may be an overdone theme in the men's deodorant ad category, there are ways to stand out even when you insist upon using it. Piyush Pandey, executive chairman, Ogilvy South Asia, believes Wild Stone’s charm lies in not crossing the fine line between “naughty” and offensive.

“Unlike other ads for deodorants and fragrances which are very in-your-face, Wild Stone’s ad was kept very subtle and watchable. Wild Stone has never gone into anything explicit and we communicated that with a little bit of wit. That is the territory we maintained, where it is naughty yet can be watched with your family,” he adds.