The campaign was to run in multiple markets. Each of these markets has its own set of restrictions for VapoRub and the product category. Due to these restrictions, we were unable to show children under the age of four. We were also unable to show animals.

#HugYourDad – A social film encouraging fathers and sons to start hugging again. The film ends with simple, yet powerful message: Don’t be afraid to hug the man who made you a man

To maximize relevancy, the video was launched on Father’s Day. The campaign ran in India, Germany, Australia and Brazil during the course of 2015 (depending on when each of these countries had their Father’s Day). In each of these countries, YouTube and Facebook Video were the primary platforms where the video ran. To make the video’s execution more relevant to the social video platform where it would launch, we decided to build it with found footage, sourced from social video sharing sites such as YouTube.

Our aim was to encourage re-evaluation of the taboo around hugging between fathers and sons. To initiate this, our strategy was to launch in markets with patriarchal societies, where affection between fathers and sons is often frowned upon. We researched countries that best fit this description, and aligned these findings with countries where Vicks VapoRub holds largest cultural significance. With this information, we then chose to launch the campaign in India (the video was later also rolled out in Germany, Australia and Brazil). To make the video’s execution more relevant to the social video platform where it would launch, we decided to build it with found footage, sourced from social video sharing sites such as YouTube. And to maximize relevancy, we chose Father’s Day as our time to launch the film.

Touch is one of the most powerful senses of all. It is scientifically proven to heal, comfort and inspire. Since 1894, touch has also been at the heart of the Vicks VapoRub brand. Vicks VapoRub is iconic for the healing moment of touch when a parent applies it to their child. We were briefed to communicate the power of touch between a parent and child, and in so doing, reinforce the power of touch inherent in the Vicks brand. As a champion of touch, our objective was to encourage people all over the world to get closer to the ones they love. Unfortunately, we saw that in many cultures, touch has become maligned, especially between two people who form one of the most important relationships in society: fathers and sons. Troublingly, hugging between sons and fathers has somehow become taboo. We wanted to change this.