HOW GARNIER TURNED ITS LOUDEST CRITIC, ITS STRONGEST PROOF?

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Situation

Garnier Men India’s men’s grooming category was growing—but still immature. Most brands spoke in: functional claims, product superiority, scientific benefits. But young consumers had moved on —a new voice had emerged: Creators, one such voice: Anubhav Singh Bassi, known for his stand-up routines—where he humorously mocked everyday life, including grooming habits. For millions of young Indians: He wasn’t a brand ambassador, he was one of them.

Problem

Why weren’t young men trusting grooming brands? Because they didn’t trust advertising—claims felt exaggerated, messaging felt scripted, brands felt distant. Meanwhile: Creators felt real, relatable, honest. The real challenge wasn’t awareness. It was credibility in a creator-first world.

Breaking Down the Problem

• Why did creators feel more trustworthy than brands?
• Why were brand claims being questioned openly?
• How do you build trust without sounding like advertising?
• Should brands control the message—or let go of it?

What We Found

Young consumers weren’t rejecting grooming. They were rejecting how it was communicated

• They trusted people over polish
• They believed lived experiences over claims
• They engaged with content, not ads

And most importantly: Trust today is built in public

Insight

If people trust those who question brands—the brand must step into the questioning. Because: credibility isn’t claimed, it’s proven.

Strategic Shift

Garnier needed to move from:

• Brand authority → Earned credibility
• Controlled messaging → Open conversation
• Advertising → Entertainment-led engagement

From: a brand that talks—to: a brand that participates

Unlock: How We Turned Skepticism into Trust

• We embraced the critic
  Instead of avoiding him
• We made the brand part of culture
  Not outside it
• We shifted the format
  From ads → to stand-up comedy
• We let the message feel unscripted
  Retaining Bassi’s natural tone
• We replaced claims with relatability
  Making the product part of everyday humour

Idea

Garnier x Bassi

Not a typical endorsement—but a collaboration where the brand entered his world.

Campaign

Garnier partnered with Anubhav Singh Bassi—integrating the brand into his stand-up narrative. Instead of: polished advertising, the brand showed up in:
Real, relatable storytelling.

Execution

• Stand-up comedy integration
  Product woven into Bassi’s storytelling style
• Digital-first rollout
  Content distributed across YouTube and social
• Native tone of voice
  Retaining Bassi’s humour and relatability
• Youth-first targeting
  Reaching audiences already engaging with him

Impact

Cultural Impact

• Entered youth culture through comedy and creators
• Made grooming conversations more relatable

Perception Shift

• From: Distant, claim-heavy brand
• To: Relatable, self-aware, culturally relevant brand

Business Impact

• Strengthened relevance among younger male audiences
• Improved engagement through creator-led content

Recognition

Bronze at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Situation

The Indian skincare market was rapidly expanding—from $1.6B in 2017 to a projected $2.7B by 2023. Growth was fuelled by increasing awareness, new formats, and a surge of brands competing for attention. But alongside this growth, the category had begun to speak in a familiar tone: fix your skin, fight your problems, correct your flaws. This created a culture of pressure—especially for young consumers. Amidst this, Everyuth Naturals was a well-known name. It had strong recall and a legacy of trust. But it was seen as: familiar, functional… and from another time. Associated with scrubs and peel-off  masks, it had quietly slipped into the space of a “mom’s brand”—trusted, but no longer chosen.

Problem

The challenge wasn’t awareness. It was relevance. How do you make a familiar brand feel like it belongs to a new generation—without losing what made it trusted in the first place?

Breaking Down the Problem 

This wasn’t just a brand problem. It was a cultural mismatch.

• The category was rooted in correction and pressure
• The brand was rooted in legacy and routine
• The consumer had moved toward confidence, ease, and self-expression

Everyuth wasn’t actively rejected. It simply didn’t feel like it belonged anymore.

What We Found

The problem wasn’t just what Everyuth said. It was what it represented.

• A brand associated with Mom's
• Messaging that felt outdated

Meanwhile, young women were becoming: more expressive, more carefree. Everyuth wasn’t rejected. It simply didn’t feel like it belonged to them.

Insight

Young women weren’t looking for more “solutions.” They were moving away from skincare that felt heavy, serious, or corrective.

Instead, they were seeking: something lighter, more positive, more effortless. They didn’t want to fix their skin. They wanted to feel good in it.

Strategic Shift

To reconnect, Everyuth didn’t need to change what it was. It needed to change what it meant. We moved the brand from:

• A mom’s brand → a millennial mindset brand
• Category pressure → feel-good positivity
• Problem-solving → mood-enhancing
• Correction → celebration

From: “Fix your skin”—to: “Enjoy your skin”

Unlock: From Dated to Desired

We reframed Everyuth’s role in people’s lives.

• From legacy familiarity → youthful relevance
• From pressure-led messaging → light, uplifting communication
• From routine → experience
• From serious category codes → playful storytelling
• From product brand → emotional platform

Idea

Lighten Up

A simple but powerful shift: lighten up your skin, and lighten up your mindset. Skincare became easy, joyful, and expressive—not something to worry about, but something to enjoy.

Campaign

#PureSkinHappyHarDin

A digital-first platform designed to connect with young women through:

• everyday, relatable moments
• light, shareable storytelling
• a more effortless approach to skincare

Execution

• Film-led storytelling with high-energy, relatable narratives
• Simplified product communication focused on joy, not problems
• Digital-first amplification designed for participation and shareability

Impact

Business Growth

• Market share grew from 5.2% → 5.9%
• Facepack segment nearly doubled: 3% → 5.6%
• Tan Removal range contributed 5% of total turnover within a year
• Scrub category share increased from 33.9% → 35.6%

Brand Shift

• Transformed from a dated, “mom’s brand”
• To a youthful, emotionally engaging skincare brand

Category Differentiation
While the category continued to speak in problems and solutions, Everyuth Naturals stood for ease, positivity, and feeling good in your skin.