Updated 19 May, 2021 12:08am

This campaign is encouraging us to express what we feel. Here's why we're cheering it on

The fact that desi societies play a largely significant role in conditioning us to repress our emotions says a lot about why we have a hard time expressing our true feelings out loud.

7up's latest campaign is trying to change that with its #DilKiBaat narrative, urging us to be more expressive, beginning with little gestures if not words.

Here is what we love about this campaign:

The ad proves that the language of love needs no words

The story unfolds with an evident uneasiness at the dinner table as the son begins to apologise to his father for bumping the car. Tension in the air suddenly lifts when the father pours him some 7up and adjusts his expressions, indicating forgiveness.

The TVC ably portrays not just the dynamics of a desi family, but also sheds light on the fact that, at times, simple gestures speak louder than words.

Brought to life by the acting prowess of Osama khan and Asif Raza Mir, it was refreshing to see that the ad made use of no long winded dialogues; instead Asif Raza Mir portrayed the heartwarming message on screen without uttering a single word.

The storyline celebrates the beauty of a typical desi father-son relationship

We think the ad aptly captures the relationship most dads and sons in our part of the world share.

In general, we might not see a whole lot of sons and fathers sharing warm and fuzzy moments that often, but deep down we all know they've got each other's back.

The ad makes use of compelling visual storytelling and heartwarming lyrics

Alternating between myriads of emotions in just a few seconds, the story features fear and discomfort on the table before love and warmth take over - and that says a lot about how successful those few minutes of storytelling are towards portraying the main idea.

We think this was made possible through expert framing, minimal dialogue and the moving lyrics of the jingle which skillfully present to us a moment of love relighted through simple gestures.

The campaign questions the desi norm of bottling up our true feelings

How many desi households around you are comfortable with expressing their feelings out loud? For us, the count is close to zero.

In a society where people bottle up emotions more often than expressing them, we feel most of the time we find ourselves channeling our emotions straight into anger or silence.

This campaign aims to normalise and acknowledge the expression of our very human feelings, primarily those of love, support and care.

Watch full TVC here:


This content is produced in paid partnership with 7up Pakistan and is not associated with or reflective of the views of Images or DAWN.com.

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