Dabur Vatika has recently launched an emotional ad campaign titled #BraveandBeautiful. Conceptualised by Linen Lintas, the short ad film takes a look into the life of a cancer survivor and the challenges faced by them, especially those pertaining to self image.

The ad film shows a young wife and mother, who is a Cancer survivor, who is trying to get things back to ‘normal’ life post her cancer treatment, reports Campaign India.

The film begins with the woman, who has lost all her hair due to the cancer treatment, looking at an old picture of hers in the morning. The film capture her normal day activities like getting her daughter ready for school, sitting down for family breakfast, they share a nice moment and then preparing to leave for her first day back in the office. At first she tries to hide her bald scalp but eventually she decides to wear a saree as she displays her bald head, as her spoils from war.

All her hesitance and nervousness vanish when she is lovingly welcomed back by her colleagues.  The film ends with a shot of the teary eyed lady with the writing, “Some people don’t need hair to look beautiful.” The campaign created a buzz on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 

Krishan Kumar Chutani, CMO, Dabur India told Campaign India, “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’.”

Jaideep Mahajan, ECD, Linen Lintas told Campaign India, “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 added, “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.”