'It Was A Joke': Vim After New Milind Soman Ad Backlash Vim the dishwashing brand released a cheeky ad nudging men into washing utensils with a stereotypical product called 'Vim Black'. This disappointed many followers and led to Vim facing major backlash for the ad.
By Kavya Pillai
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In the past advertisements about dishwashing liquids and soaps have revolved around the narrative that it's a women's chore. Recently, Vim the dishwashing brand released a cheeky ad nudging men into washing utensils with a stereotypical product called 'Vim Black'.
The iconic male supermodel Milind Soman in Vim's recent advertisement was seen promoting the new packaging of the dishwashing soap, Vim Black. He emphasized in the ad that men should participate equally in dishwashing and other household chores. He shared the ad on his Instagram and wrote, "Vim Black- dishwashing liquid made for men. Or is it?"
This disappointed many followers and led to Vim facing major backlash for the ad. Karthik (@beastoftraal) who as per his Twitter bio is a communications strategy consultant tweeted, "Probably the world's 1st ever dishwash liquid"? "for men of all ages, sizes, and personalities"? "anti-slip grip for new users trying to slip away from doing dishes"? Seriously, Hindustan Unilever? This is not an April 1 joke launched way too early in December? ½".
The well-heeled company, Hindustan Unilever shared a message on their official e-commerce site. "Hey there, thank you for taking interest for taking interest in Vim Black. Sorry but it was a joke. However, we aren't joking about men owning chores… So please head to any store close to you and try the Vim liquid! You'll see how easy it is do your own chores.. Oh and its nothing to brag about :)," it said.
After the backlash, Vim issued a statement clarifying, "it was a joke". Their post on Instagram said, " "Hey guys, just something we want to say from the bottom of our bottle's hearts. "Only the bottle is different, the liquid inside has been the same all along...Bartan dhona sabke liye ek jaisa, to liquid bhi ek hoga na? You don't need a new bottle to enter the kitchen, just the realisation that these are your chores too!"
Another Twitter user wrote about the brand's witty ad, "It's brilliant communication from the brand. They are nudging men to contribute in housework in a cheeky manner. But the number of people who have missed the point and outraging in the QTs maybe proves that anything other than spoon-fed messaging isn't fit for this country."
While another user added, "What a brilliant way to troll men who think it's a woman's job to do the dishes! Pity many didn't get the message. Arrey baba it's not a new product for men. It's saying 'ab toh bartan uthhao, dho daalo. Your mardangi won't suffer because of it'."
