Most advertising campaigns exist as commercials, while only a few become iconic in popular culture. Imperial Blue packaged drinking water from Tilaknagar Industries Limited, has brought back its much-loved ‘Because, Men Will Be Men’ platform which pokes fun at every day, relatable male behaviors.
The return marks an important new phase for Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water under Tilaknagar Industries. Rather than reinventing a platform with strong cultural recall, the campaign continues to create new ways of enhancing its distinctive wit and relatability of Men Will Be Men, while evolving it for a younger generation in their cultural context.
At the heart of the new film is a collaboration with one of the campaign’s most recognisable, historical creative assets – a Lift. The ad creates a new context for the franchise, capturing the timeless male instinct, the desire to impress through chivalry, presented with its trademark humorous twist.
The campaign celebrates the everyday quirks the brand has long called “Mennisms”.
Men are portrayed as quirky, well-intentioned yet imperfect, with exaggerated humour ,set in relatable situations. The brand continues to celebrate observational humour and quirky masculinity with women being active participants who are “in” on the joke.
Directed by Roopali Singhal, the campaign brings a fresh creative perspective to one of India’s most recognizable male-centric advertising franchises. The storytelling focuses on celebrating humour in slice of life shared situations. The result is a warmer, more endearing interpretation of Because, Men Will Be Men that retains the franchise’s irreverence while reflecting how relationships & audience expectations have evolved.
Ahmed Rahimtoola CMO, Tilaknagar Industries Limited said “We are delighted to present our first Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water campaign under the Tilaknagar banner. Our Newly appointed brand creative partners have elevated the well-loved Imperial Blue wit in a contemporary manner while driving reach to a new generation of consumers. For us at TI, this is a critical step in unlocking the potential of Imperial Blue Packaged Drinking Water’s established brand equity and accelerating its growth story”
Speaking on behalf of the Imperial Blue team, Ishwindar Singh, Senior Vice President - Marketing, Tilaknagar Industries Limited, said “The Challenge for us has always been to find new creative ways to celebrate the quirky yet relatable male habits in the ever-evolving cultural context, reinforcing humour & relatability as distinctive territories for the brand. Meninism is back, the lift is back and everyone is in on the joke. Ahmed, Garima, Aditya & I have had a blast working with the team at 82.5 Grey, Roopali and Deja vu films on the latest version of "Because, Men will be Men.”
Roopali Singh, Director of the film said, “Because, Men Will Be Men is iconic and I was overjoyed to be a part of bringing it back in its new flavour with 82.5 & Dejavu Films. Anuraag, Trishay and the team had a solid script and a clear sense of where they wanted this to go. Through multiple conversations around casting, performances and iterations of the script, we kept coming back to one thing - while we wanted to give the campaign a younger, more contemporary perspective, the humour had to remain at the heart of it. We hope the audience sees men for their quirks, their humour, their madness, making some moments simply unforgettable.”
“Men Will Be Men has always found humour in the little things men do. But as relationships change, those little things change too. That’s what keeps the platform fresh. This time, the women aren’t just watching the Men-isms, they’re part of them. Because Men Will Be Men shouldn’t mean men never change. It means there will always be something wonderfully ‘men’ about them, which we all can appreciate.”
The campaign features Aaron Kaul, known for Namacool and Almost Together; Kaveri Seth, known for Gulmohar, A Suitable Boy and Made in India – A Titan Story; and Anant Joshi, recognised for 12th Fail, Maamla Legal Hai, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein and Kathal. Together, the cast brings a youthful and contemporary energy to the franchise, with the film exploring everyday quirks, relationships and the lighter side of male behaviour.
The Campaign was curated by a collaborative team of Ahmed Rahimtoola CMO, Ishwindar Singh SVP Marketing, Garima Sharma General Manager, Zoya Dcosta, Head Digital, Aditya Nair, Brand Manager from Tilaknagar Industries; Agency partners 82.5 Grey led by Kiran Ramamurthy, CEO, Anuraag Khandelwal, Chief Creative Officer, Rohitash Srivastava, Chief Strategy Officer, Varun Kohli, Senior Vice President, Trishay Kotwal and Vihar Patkar, ECDs, Anuj Sharma, Vice President & Anshita Singh, Group Account Manager. The film was directed by Roopali Singhal and produced by DejaVu.
