There’s finally a deodorant ad that doesn’t titillate men and present women as one-dimensional objects of sexual desire

• Over the years, deodorant ads have tried to titillate men by presenting women as one-dimensional objects of sexual desire.
• They sell fame, sexual appeal and wealth to woo men.
• Conceptualised by Spring Marketing Capital, Brut’s latest campaign takes a dig at its competitors who sell sexism in their ads.

Over the years, deodorant advertisements have objectified women and perpetuated the stereotype that women will do anything for male attention. They have featured petite, skimpily clad women, where a man sprays on a brand of deodorant and women are drawn to him like metal to magnet. Sigmund Freud describes people who are sexually aroused by odours as suffering from ‘osphresiolagnia.’ Going by Indian deodorant advertisements, one would think almost all women in the country suffered from it.

Here's an example of what deo ads in the early 2000s looked like. The message, 'Use our product and women won't be able to keep themselves away, was common among most brands.


It is 2021 and there is finally an advertisement that is calling out other brands in this category for making false claims and objectifying women.


Hindustan Unilever’s Brut has launched a campaign titled, ‘Nothing but the truth.’ Starring Shahid Kapoor, the ad concentrates on the product's functional features instead. It sarcastically mimics deodorant ads that portray women as sexual objects. It talks about its smell and ability to last longer than usual deodorants. The campaign has been conceptualised by Spring Marketing Capital.

HUL’s Brut reminded us of another satirical campaign. In 2016, deodorant brand HE, after receiving flak for its sexist advertisements over the years, had launched an advertisement starring Vir Das. The campaign had called out bathing soaps, automobile brands, and Slice’s aamsutra for objectifying women in the name of marketing.


By reversing gender roles in its ad, the brand wanted men to realise how starring in such sexist ads can make women feel uncomfortable, objectified or awkward. It ends by saying, “You don’t have to objectify women to sell a product. Like HE, respect women because real men respect women.”

HUL’s Brut was last seen advertising in 2019. Starring Ravindra Jadeja, it encouraged men to focus on their individuality and stand out in the crowd by being their original self.


Brut is now making a comeback in the market with its campaign ‘Nothing but the truth,’ and the ad has our approval.