Ranveer Singh recently had the internet in splits with his ‘jeth ji’ act in the Indian daily-soap-styled ad campaign for sexual wellness brand Bold Care, also featuring adult star Johnny Sins.

The Bold Care ad, shared more than 3.3 million times on Instagram, has now got the industry talking about the ‘reinvention’ of advertising for products dealing with sexual welfare.  

The ‘bold’ ad campaign for Bold Care was conceptualized by Tanmay Bhatt’s Moonshot.  

According to Rajat Jadhav, Co-Founder of Bold Care, the aim was to create a conversation about men's sexual health. “From a cultural perspective, there isn’t much that is talked about actually. We have always avoided the conversation. From the last five years, female sexual health is still talked about but male sexual health hasn’t been a point of discussion. People have started talking about it but not on a larger level. So, with this campaign, we took a humouristic take to talk about male sexual health.”

The adland’s take

How is the advertising industry gearing up for topics around ‘sex’ and ‘sexual health’? Industry experts shared that the digital medium and social media have aided new-age brands to get creative and bold with their campaigns. 

Speaking about the evolution of the topic in advertising communication, Azazul Haque, CCO at Media.Monks, who has worked on Manforce Condoms, said it was difficult a decade back to even execute a campaign with a popular actor because no one would agree to do it. However, times have changed.

On how audiences and brands have come a long way, Heman Shringy, CCO at BBDO, said, “Both - the industry and the audience - have come a long way with a sexual health product ad going 'viral'. It's not being hidden, it's being shared, even on family WhatsApp groups. And I think the major contributor has been digital and social. The exposure to all kinds of content has really opened people up. Also, I think since digital is mainly solo viewing, the sharing is really on individual discretion instead of a media or brand push.”

Meanwhile, Sourav Ray, Chief Strategy Officer, of Cheil India, said: “Ancient India celebrated sex, while modern India whispers about it. But a change is brewing, fuelled by young Indians, online openness and legal shifts like LGBTQ+ rights.”

“Previously, advertising in this domain primarily targeted men, focusing on the realm of ‘male fantasy’. Objectification was almost a norm. However, as the mainstream landscape shifts, a wave of challenger brands has emerged. These brands aim to disrupt the category, recognizing that fulfilling sexual experiences should cater to the pleasure and well-being of both genders.”

BBC had a humoristic take on the subject in this 2020 TV spot  

Leena Gupta, Creative and Founding member at Talented.Agency, had an interesting take. “The history of sexual health communication in our country has to be viewed from a nuanced lens because of two primary reasons: our literacy rates and our population. Sexual health communication was earlier limited to fear-mongering of STDs through campaigns like “Javaan Hu Nadaan Nahi” (which advocated for celibacy) to pureplay educational campaigns like “Balbir Pasha Ko AIDS Hai Kya”, and actor Raveena Tandon featuring in the National Rural Health Mission campaign around reproductive health.”

“The communication had to be from the government, for the masses at large, via mass communication channels, so the scope of creativity and stickiness was automatically narrowed. Soon after, with the advent of sexual health products like performance enhancement supplements, private companies got into the game. From Dabur Shilajit to Zandu Vigorex, the formula was clear: show a promiscuous wife who wants her husband to perform, and due to whatever reason (work, stress, disinterest), he is unable to satisfy her.”

With regards to the recent Boldcare ad, Gupta said: “The Boldcare ad captured the imagination of the Indian internet. Everyone was suddenly talking about this sexual wellness brand, which was virtually unknown until last month. But I wonder if this ad moved the needle on making erectile dysfunction a less taboo topic. It did repeat the promiscuous wife trope along with jokes like “inka pappu can’t dance saala” and “inka johny kabhi sins nahi karta” so as a woman, I can only wonder if men with ED felt represented or supported in the end. However, there is no denying that the brand has managed to reach pockets of the society that didn’t even know about ED. So I’m glad that this is a solid start,” she remarked.

Sharing a different perspective, Titus Upputuru, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, The Titus Upputuru Company, said, “Nothing has changed. It’s as cringy as it always was. The contribution, if it all, has been for the worse. I think we must deal with sexual health as a health issue. It should be treated as any other bodily weakness or ailment.”

The creative shift

The ad industry is nearly on the same page about a shift in the perspective towards sexual health. From the change in the way of storytelling to product innovations, creativity has also come a long way, said experts. 

Talking about the evolution of storytelling in advertising, Emmanuel Upputuru, Founder and CCO at EFGH Brand Innovations, said, “There was a time when two flowers 'kissing' was a suggestion of couples getting intimate. That filter has gone – at least in the movies. In advertising, I don’t see much change in terms of storytelling. However, with newer products available in the category and fewer inhibitions in the digital space, we will probably see a change in advertising as well.”

Kohinoor released this quirky ad nearly 15 years ago 

On the other hand, Pragati Rana, Head of Originals, Regional Creative Officer - West and Founding Partner, TGTHR said, “Earlier, there were just condom ads. Now, there are other sexual health products being talked about. Even in terms of communication, things have evolved and become more engagement-led. There are a lot of things that we can’t say or show because of regulations but brands like Skore, Durex, and Boldcare are circumventing the restrictions and giving a fresh perspective.”

As for Shoubhik Roy, Creative Director, Dentsu Creative India, “Brands are slowly steering away from the habit of selling sex to selling sexual wellness. It's encouraging to see Bold Care taking initiatives like releasing Q&A videos on its YouTube channel to demystify erectile dysfunction and encourage open conversations around it. This is precisely the approach other brands should adopt.”

“Social media is a powerful tool; leverage it — break down the conversations into smaller, more digestible pieces, and delve deeper into the subject. Brands can only normalize sexual health by creating a safe space for open discussions. And remember, you can be informative without being crass and unnecessarily vulgar,” he added.

Swati Balani, ECD at BBH India also agreed that brands have evolved with time but advised that they need to be cautious. “We are witnessing conversations about topics such as 'consent' in the sexual wellness and dating app categories. New-age feminine hygiene like Sirona India is also actively talking about breaking taboos in the sexual health and hygiene segment. While the audience has evolved, it only takes one dialogue or word to make a conversation of intimacy distasteful.”

On a similar note, Raman R.S. Minhas, Chief Creative Officer, IdeateLabs, said, “While new approaches are being explored (the Johnny Sins and Ranveer Singh spot), I believe there is still templatization and the portrayal is formulaic. The interesting thing is, the latest piece spoofs TV serials that have been called out as regressive by many. It is a very sensitive subject and the depth of understanding must reflect in the way the topic is portrayed.”