Pond’s has rolled out a campaign, ‘Sun Portraits’ that aims to spotlight the invisible yet severe damage caused by prolonged sun exposure. 

Conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai and set in Phalodi, Rajasthan - one of India’s hottest districts, the campaign moves beyond the scope of a conventional ad film into the terrain of on-ground activation and social messaging. 

Using UV-sensitive or specialised imaging techniques, the campaign created large-scale ‘sun portraits’ of local women on the exterior walls of their homes. These portraits, over time, begin to deteriorate under the harsh sun, visibly mimicking the effects of sun damage on skin. The underlying message being: what the sun does to walls, it does to skin - only less visibly. Alongside the portraits, the brand also distributed its Sun Miracle sunscreen sachets, attempting to bridge awareness with access, and with the stated ambition to transform Phalodi into India’s first ‘sun-protected district.’

What we think about it: By turning homes into canvases and deterioration into storytelling, the campaign externalises an otherwise invisible problem. However, the execution raises some questions with the case study appearing designed for award juries and urban audiences more than the community it features. The act of placing women’s faces on public walls, only to have them degrade visibly, risks unintended public embarrassment, especially in a conservative society like rural Rajasthan where women are customarily known to cover their faces with veils or ‘ghunghats’. That said, the campaign does succeed in making one stop, look, and think. And in a cluttered skincare category, that in itself is an achievement.

Credits:
Agency: Ogilvy India (Mumbai)
CCOs: Kainaz Karmakar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Sukesh Nayak
Executive chairperson: Hephzibah Pathak
Production house: Good Morning Films
Director: Gaurav Gupta

The film was released on Instagram and YouTube on 6 April.