Household cleaning brand, Vim’s new dishwashing liquid made exclusively for men left people scratching their heads. The advertisement campaign for Vim Black for men featured the famous dishwashing liquid in a new, black bottle that sparked outrage for being ‘sexist’.
However, Vim India revealed that it was all a joke.
It posted a commercial on Instagram starring Indian actor and model Milind Soman on Friday. In the ad, a man in a gym is seen bragging about how he “helped” his mother do the dishes at home. Milind Soman then shows up, wearing nothing but a black apron and hands him the new Vim Black with the catchphrase, “Vim Black for men, easy to clean, more to brag”.
The commercial went viral all over social media, sparking all kinds of reactions online.
Is this a joke? pic.twitter.com/3Kb6rqJPAB
— Apoorva Mandhani (@MandhaniApoorva) December 9, 2022
Just when you thought you had seen every marketing gimmick – this happens
Vim, are you okay? pic.twitter.com/rTpRXNnqva
— Saranya Gopinath (@Saranyagop) December 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/deval_m/status/1601610393343827968?s=20&t=o5s2X2RSgHrmCk2yN10OGQ
Some netizens were outraged by the commercial and slammed Vim for ‘sexist marketing’. Even Milind Soman came under fire for his involvement in it.
ViM liquid black – do you feel men are ashamed to use yellow or green dish washing liquid ? Seriously feel bad for the team who approved this and thought this would work pic.twitter.com/RF85vKZA0x
— Kevin (@iamkevins) December 10, 2022
When your target audience is pseudo-feminist but actually misogynistic young men😐 #VimBlack pic.twitter.com/GRJSzAEidf
— Kritika Kukreja (@KriKuksItUp) December 10, 2022
Why is there a VIM black for men?
What the fuck is this gender discrimination in doing dishes.
And why aren't people protesting this stereotyping in house hould chors.— Kaapi Cutting (@tweeju) December 12, 2022
‘It Was a Joke’
Following the public backlash, Vim India came forward on Sunday to clarify that the campaign had been a joke. The caption read,
We aren’t serious about the black pack, but we are super serious about men owning chores at home!
In a follow-up post, Vim India explained its motive behind the viral marketing stunt with an open letter to all men.
The note said, “Bartan dhona sabke liye ek jaisa, toh liquid bhi ek hoga na (washing dishes is the same for everyone, so the liquid too will be the same)”.
The new black bottle seems like a dig at other popular brands that often promote products for men in manly, dark colors, while women’s products are often sold in lighter and brighter shades of packaging.
Popular comedy show Saturday Night Live did a similarly hilarious skit on this marketing static with Game of Thrones star, Jason Mamoa.
