MUMBAI: With the times changing, there is need for new fairy tales as well! So Marico Industries has launched a new advertising campaign for Silk-n-Shine, the post wash hair conditioner brand, which gives a humorous twist to the fairy tale fable of the frog prince.

With the unique TVC, the FMCG attempts to connect to the youth in a more enticing manner.

Breaking away from the accepted norm of advertisers, Marico premiered the commercial on the Internet before the ad break on television. The FMCG tied up with Yahoo! India to host the Internet premiere, giving the net savvy consumers a unique opportunity to view the commercial online before the rest of the world does so on the small screen.

The ad has been conceptualised by Ambience Publicis' creative team Rohit Malkhani and Sameer Desai under the tutelage of Elsie Nanji and directed by Ram Madhvani of Equinox Films. The new TVC is shot in a funky "Bombay Dreams" like setting.

The film opens with a princess sitting by the pool, languidly stroking the water, when a frog jumps out on her hand. The princess expectantly kisses the frog... and not surprisingly a prince (resembling a south Indian prince) jumps out. Romance follows as usual, but unfortunately there is a twist.

The moment the Prince touches her hair, he expresses his wrath over her tangled hair. In disgust, he turns himself back into a frog. Like the magic potion in fair tales, Silk-n-Shine comes to the rescue of the princess and on applying it, she transforms into a beautiful princess with lovely tresses.

The frog appears again, but this time the gorgeous princess is not willing to accept him. Holding the frog by its legs, she hurls it into a snake basket. The concluding line of the commercial reads 'Uljhan ka happy ending', signifying the attitude of the brand which is all about a young, carefree and confident beauty, a modern woman who sets her own rules.

The TVC sports a catchy and foot tapping track, and stays true to findings of the youth research as the character of the princess is shown as a strong, confident person, one who defines her own rules.

According to Marico Industries brand manager Sameer Satpathy, "In a category where most ads are fighting to grasp the attention of the youth, the new commercial of Silk-n-Shine certainly breaks clutter. The funky 'fairy-tale-ish' imagery with strong characterisation, the foot tapping background track and the element of humor will certainly connect with the MTV generation of today."

While the TVC launched on the television channels on 26 September, Marico will be launching a series of fun contests revolving around the communication theme.

In a bid to popularise the funky characters in the Silk-n-Shine ads, Marico has also created is a downloadable net buddy, ringtones and wallpapers, which will also be available for all Yahoo! India users and the cute frog will be a tool for girls to know more about the 'men' in their life.

According to the release, Silk-n-Shine with fruit vitamins works on rough and tangled hair in a unique three-step action. For best results after a hair wash, apply Silk-n-Shine on damp hair. It works on hair to: 1) Coat every strand, 2) Detangle hair and 3) Make hair soft and silky.

The product is available in two attractively priced packs. The 50 ml pack is priced at Rs 49 and the 100 ml pack is priced at Rs 89. The packaging in a transparent and sleek bottle, inspired by the architecture of the Eiffel Tower, is contemporary and modern - reflecting the premiumness of the brand, adds the release.