In a truly disruptive move, actor Sidharth Malhotra became the first male celebrity to headline a mainstream Indian makeup campaign for the brand MyGlamm, challenging the status quo of gender norms and spotlighting the brand's ethical mission. The campaign, ingeniously titled #TestedOnSid, quickly garnered attention due to its irreverent approach to ‘Guilt-free Glamour’.
The idea behind this bold marketing move was explained by MyGlamm’s xxxxx in the latest episode of a podcast, “We had to launch our lipstick, so we went and got Sidharth Malhotra. Because, well, no one had used a male to sell a lipstick before. Our budget was around ₹30–40 lakh for marketing. If I had gone to hire any female actress, their per-day rate would have been anywhere between ₹50 lakh to a crore. But, more importantly, they would not have signed for less than a three-day contract, because once they have worked with you, others won't work with them, so then that becomes a big budget. The idea came, why don't I go and get a male celebrity? He has zero opportunity cost, so he'll be like, 'Okay, I'll do a half- day shoot for the money I'm getting,' and they have no category block. So, we went and got Sidharth Malhotra, a good-looking Punjabi hunk, and we made him topless and put lipstick marks on him. Also, we, as a brand, were cruelty-free, and the government had just announced at the same time that every brand has to be cruelty-free in India, and animal testing is being banned. So, we got Sid, we got lipstick marks all over his body, put up the billboard, and it just said, 'Tested on Sid, Not Tested on Animals.' Oh, wow! And it went viral," he said.
This quirky premise not only spoke volumes about the brand’s cruelty-free philosophy but also provided a comic, relatable hook for its women customers.
For Sidharth Malhotra, the decision to sign up came down to the core message. “I first thought I had heard wrong when a makeup brand wanted to feature me in their campaign... Then I saw the premise, which is #TestedOnSID, and signed up as a willing guinea pig because I’d any day sign up for a product that is not tested on animals.” He saw the campaign as innovative and bold, perfectly reflecting the confidence of today's young women.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.