How can a piece of chocolate bash misogyny?
I love the power that videos have, they can strike a chord in your heart and give you goosebumps, leaving you with teary eyes. This article is about a commercial which touched me and has stayed with me.
Background:
This video commercial was created by Cadbury India, Mondlez international in 1990s and re-created in 2021 by Ogilvy. Without changing the narrative, background music, cinematography, shot division, editing and most importantly the product advertised, only the gender of protagonist and supporting character is swapped. This minor variation has influenced humongously in the message that has been delivered.
Without further ado let’s dig deep into it..
80s and 90s in India
Patriarchy was at peak. Women were told to dress in certain way. They were compelled to talk, walk, eat, speak, behave in a particular manner. Their attire was confined to saree or other traditional clothing. In metro cities however due to westernization women were taking a step forward in terms of education, work place, politics etc. However sexism and objectifying women was portrayed in films and advertisements. Airing Cadbury commercial was a game changer for the ad industry in India.
The long haired protagonist with her carefree nature and western clothes celebrating her lover’s victory by breaking all the boundaries (Pun not intended for cricket fans) by dancing like no ones watching that too on the cricket field (which is prohibited) was unprecedented for Indian audience in that era. This type of character gave an idea of how gleeful and daring women can be and also a lesson about feminism which ended up breaking stereotypes. Also the notion of women cricket lovers was introduced in the male dominant sport. This commercial is still memorialized and made a huge mark on the audience. The tagline at the end loosely translates to ‘The real flavor of life’. P.S. It was inspired by a real incident.
Recreation of the master piece in 2021
More than quarter centuries later, Cadbury has reimagined the iconic advert. They say one should never touch a masterpiece, however this particular recreation was an exception. As mentioned above, by just flipping the genders of protagonist and the supporting character the message delivered is so disparate. This video portrays women athletes and celebrates the spirit of National Women’s Cricket Team which is always overlooked by the Men’s team in India. The typecast of female gender cheering for her lover was broken. The timing of the release of this commercial was during the cricket finals and Tokyo Olympics.
For cricket fans: The achievements of Women’s cricket team in 2021 were far more compared to that of Men’s.
As an Indian women
It gives me a sense of pride to see the changing scenario of the mentality of people and also the portrayal of women in media has changed. From acing the corporate world, politics, sports, women are at the forefront of creating new milestones this film is an ode to each one of them. Cadbury as a brand always has stood for gender inclusivity and also plays a part in disruption of ideologies. This film brings a gush of nostalgia and relevance. Hence I say it just took a piece of chocolate to break all this misogyny!
Repercussions
As the film was released it caught fire on social media. Twitterati vent gaga over it. I am sure netizens will cherish this advert like the old masterpiece.
P.S. Don’t forget to watch the old vs new commercial at the end.
