The latest campaign from P Mark Mustard Oil features a series of television ads that are delightfully chaotic, crazy and comical – all at the same time. Boman Irani engages in some scintillating comedy across three different roles: a boxing coach, a foreign language translator and a chef. Widely acknowledged as an extremely talented and versatile actor, Boman has this unique ability to do slapstick comedy without turning it into something corny or cheap. On the contrary, the ads reflect a certain slickness that makes them very contemporary, youthful and smart.
The ads are also online, uploaded on our YouTube channel; you can watch them right here:
However, beyond the physical comedy, the madcap characters and the awkward situations, there is a well conceived brand strategy underlying these ads. For close to a decade, the brand has been building a distinctive positioning platform as “The Mustard Specialist”. This platform is founded on the cornerstone of the brand being single-mindedly focused on Mustard Oil – for more than 85 years. The company (Puri Oil Mills Limited) manufactures only mustard oil, mustard oil-based variants and mustard-based value-added products.
The very first television ad featured Boman Irani explaining the facets that made P Mark Mustard Oil the Mustard Specialist. It had core competence in the domain of mustard; it had a proven track record for quality and purity spanning more than 85 years; it had received national and international quality awards; and it was trusted by generations of consumers.
The second television ad used humour to reinforce the positioning platform of “The Mustard Specialist”. Taking on the role of a Tabla Ustaad who rushes through a recital because he’s distracted by the delicious aroma of P Mark Mustard Oil, Boman explains: Sirf Ek Specialist Ek Specialist Ko Pehchaan Sakta Hai (Only a Specialist can recognize another Specialist).
The current series takes this core message to the next level and at the same time targets a different demographic: youthful consumers, especially young housewives. The ads use edgy comedy and multiple roles by Boman Irani to establish – in a tongue-in-cheek way – the fact that: Specialist ka kaam Specialist hi kar sakta hai (Only a Specialist can do the work of a Specialist).
As you can see, this madness is backed by meticulous behind-the-scenes planning.