An underwear ad with a difference... because for once there are no males or for that matter females strutting their stuff with just an eensie weensie bit more than the bare necessities. Also, no females going gaga over a guy just because he is sporting "a particular" underwear. A far cry from the cliché's is what the new television commercial (TVC) of the 'big' impression creator - Maxwell Industries' VIP Frenchie X - can be described. It's all about UND(y)I(ng) love this time round. And this one promises to make a BIGGER impression?

The TVC, padded with stylised set creations backed with slick animation and a hummable score, drives home the point of a panty being attracted to the VIP Frenchie X. This campaign, the brainchild of Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, demonstrates the brand's attitude effectively sans the use of models.

The TVC begins with a panty, which is drying on a clothesline suddenly swaying away with the wind. It moves across buildings, careens close to a man reading a newspaper and then deciding against going any closer, moves away from him still not finding its final destination. Finally the perseverance of the panty in its quest to find the perfect match pays off. It goes and plonks itself beside a VIP Frenchie X that was drying on a clothesline of another house. After settling beside it, the panty coyly shifts closer and the rest as they say is history...

The first phase of the Frenchie X print and outdoor campaign was launched a few months ago and it took no time become "infamous" as it aroused a controversy in Mumbai after which the ads were promptly changed backed by smart execution. Radio ads were also rolled out with the doctor, the obsessed nurse and the object of her sponge fantasies - patient Aditya with (obviously) the VIP Frenchie X! Poor guy, one wonders if he survived the innumerable sponge baths!!! Jokes apart, this was a tipping point to a media blitz that is being carried forward by this new ad.

O&M vice president Meenakshi Bhalla explains the strategy, "Consumers choose brands that catapult them into the 'arrived' bracket. The consumer's insecurity is precisely where he is most vulnerable and it is at this point that the Frenchie X brand has gained entry and acceptance, establishing itself as a first among equals."

Says O&M senior creative director Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and creator of this TVC, "Today's youth know what they want. They have a point of view on most things with no inhibitions in expressing this view. Coupled with the need to be assertive, there is a distinct need to gain prominence - the 'I' syndrome. With or without models, the Frenchie X tagline - 'Makes a big impression,' meets the emerging needs of the singular, style driven youth of today."

In a chat with indiantelevision.com, Bhalla and Mahabaleshwarkar concur on the fact that while men have definitely liked this ad because it instills a sense of pride and power in them; women, terming the ad as 'cute', have also taken a liking to it.

Speaking about the new communication, Maxwell Industries Ltd president Satish Samant says, "The collections are designed keeping in view the values and attitudes that consumers identify with today. The brand proposition of winning attitude and upmanship is collectively communicated through the X factor that defines the man of today who is cool, spirited, fresh and yet sharp and intense."

Going behind in time to the conceptualisation of the ad, the agency and client felt that the increased exposure to international fashion and culture has created a more evolved Indian consumer, who demonstrates a need for international acceptance demanding products that can easily compare with a global market, in style, design and quality. And that's exactly where Frenchie X comes in.

Moreover, the Indian consumer is today far more sensitive to the labels he sports, even on his undergarments. The men's innerwear market, pegged at Rs 25 billion with the premium segment estimated at Rs 6 billion, is expected to grow at the rate of 12 - 15 per cent annually.

What with the new TVC rolling out, the company would surely be looking at retaining its present consumers as well as attracting newer ones... specially young men who are itching to make an impression. And a BIG one at that!