In a curious twist to this season’s ad playbook, Emami’s prickly heat powder brand Dermicool has launched a fully AI-generated ad film — possibly the first of its kind in India’s FMCG sector. Titled Dermicool Warriors, the campaign trades the usual sun-and-sweat visuals for a fantasy world where skin rashes are monsters (called “Ghamoriyas”) and Neem-Tulsi-powered heroes save the day.
Yes, it’s prickly heat meets Avatar.
Created in just 30 days by Wondrlab, TopScout, and Crushed Studios, the 30-second film leans heavily into generative AI visuals, but not without a dose of nostalgia. The classic jingle “Aaya Mausam Thande Thande Dermicool Ka” still plays on, only now it echoes through a mythical battle zone instead of a sweaty living room.
This isn’t your average summer campaign. The spot taps into the current AI craze while trying to hold on to Dermicool’s age-old brand equity. What used to be an itch-relief story now has a plot — complete with villains, warriors, and a tech-forward approach that’s equal parts experimental and attention-seeking.
Of course, it’s also a litmus test for how far Indian mass-market brands are willing to stretch the boundaries of storytelling. While AI has been slowly entering the ad production pipeline (especially for mockups, product renders, and conceptual design), few have gone all in for consumer-facing creative like this.
“DermiCool enjoys the love of its consumers owing to it consistently delivering cooling relief from heat and associated problems like prickly heat. In our efforts to win the new generation consumers, we realised that we needed to adopt modern storytelling formats while retaining the legacy we are proud of. DermiCool Warriors, our digital film, is an effort in that direction. It embraces future-facing technologies in brand communication while staying true to the brand’s core emotional legacy and promise. The campaign highlights the strategic use of AI as a cost-effective alternative to high-budget filmmaking, while being more agile and efficient approach to creative development,” said Kaushik Vedula, AVP-Marketing, Emami Limited.
Legal clearances? All AI tools used were licensed, the brand notes — a subtle nod to growing concerns around deepfakes and copyright in AI-generated content.
Whether Dermicool Warriors turns into a case study or just a seasonal stunt remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: summer advertising just got a little less sweaty and a lot more sci-fi.
Amit Akali, Co-founder and CCO of Wondrlab, & Gauri Gokarn Content Lead added, “Very rarely does a client present a brief that lets us push creative and technological boundaries. We had the concept in place, but bringing AI into the mix supercharged the execution and gave the film an entirely new visual identity.”
“We’re proud to be developing this ground-breaking digital film with partners at Emami who’ve courageously accepted the power of AI-led filmmaking. This film not only breaks the stigma of using AI generated visuals but also pushes the bar for how AI can be a facilitator for the new age advertising. With visuals created entirely with the power of AI for a brand that defined our childhood summers, it’s targeted at resonating with the digital audience of today. This campaign blends nostalgia with innovation, reviving the iconic jingle ‘Aaya Mausam Thande Thande Dermicool Ka’ through a future-ready, trendsetting AI-gen approach”, said,Ibrahim Mir, Chief Creative Officer, The TopScout.