Some people don’t need hair to look beautiful in #braveandbeautiful campaign from Linen Lintas India for natural hair care brand Dabur Vatika

It’s not often that a hair care brand chooses to take the social path when endorsing its proposition to the people at large. In a gesture that aims to salute the undying spirit of fighters from cancer, Dabur Vatika has launched an emotional ad campaign for this natural hair care brand. Titled #BraveandBeautiful, the campaign has been created by Linen Lintas India. It takes a peek into the life of a cancer survivor and the many odds that the person is faced with during this trying phase of their journey.

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As is known, cancer is one of the leading causes of all deaths in the world, including India. According to estimates, there are nearly three million patients suffering from the disease in India. According to numbers available from World Health Organization, about 500,000 people die of cancer annually in the country and that number is expected to rise by 40 per cent by 2015.

The endurance to put up with this killer disease is even more trying for the female populace, who form a considerable percentage of the disease in India. This campaign traverses the journey of one such survivor and propagates how prompt and genuine support from family and friends can help the survivor gain strength to battle all odds.

Sharing his thoughts on the insight behind the campaign, Dabur India Ltd Chief Marketing Officer, Krishan Kumar Chutani said, “Vatika, as a brand, has always stood for ‘woman of substance’. Who else could be more ‘brave and beautiful’ than a woman who has defeated this dreaded disease and embraced life. Brands have always talked about how hair makes a woman beautiful and most brands often talk about hair fashion, style, strength etc. But the hard fact is that a lot of women, who have undergone chemotherapy, do not just lose hair but also end up with erosion in self-esteem. It takes a great deal of confidence and inner strength to face the world all over again. This campaign seeks to identify and present stories of such brave women who can inspire millions more who are fighting this dreadful disease today. It conveys that ‘beauty is not skin deep’.”

The short film shows a young mother – a Cancer survivor, who is trying to get her life back to normal against trying circumstances. Not an easy thing to achieve given that she has lost her hair on account of the grueling chemotherapy sessions and medicines that have taken a toll on her health. With a new journey to be undertaken, she is not confident enough of how the world will receive her in her changed avatar. With her husband and family serving as a strong support system, she musters the courage to resume work in her office. Although a bit nervous at first, she is surprised to see the warmth and approach with which her colleagues reach out to her. Almost instantly she settles into her professional work life with the belief that her friends and society will accept her in whatever form as she has emerged a true ‘survivor’.

Sharing his thoughts on the creative route taken for the film, Jaideep Mahajan, ECD, Linen Lintas said, “The campaign is path-breaking in the sense that for the first time a brand is talking not about the ordeal of Cancer but about the reboot of life post that. It’s not about one’s fight with the disease but with yourself when you have already defeated your biggest enemy. The biggest connect between the brand and the cause is ‘hair’, or actually the absence of them. #BraveandBeautiful aptly captures the core thought of the campaign and does the task of getting the brand and the cause on the same platform.”

Pranav Harihar, Group Creative Director, Linen Lintas and the writer of the campaign, elaborates, “In the history of Indian hair advertising, this is the boldest take that any hair brand has taken so far. For a hair brand, it takes guts to say ‘some people don’t need hair to look beautiful’. It’s almost like a reverse connection between the brand and the cause. And it’s a very strong connect and not just another CSR activity where a brand just signs off without any relevance with the cause.”

The film shows the journey of a cancer survivor in a beautiful manner through a song called, ‘Tu faulad, Tu phool’ that has been sung by celebrity singer/composer Salim Merchant with music directed by Haneef and Lyrics written by Pranav Harihar.

Credits –

Sound Engineer: Aftab Khan