Vaseline: The voice of a nation

When English cricketer Michael Vaughan accused Indian player VVS Laxman of using Vaseline on his cricket bat, Unilever, the brand's owner, wanted to exploit the controversy to boost growth in India, where it faced stagnant sales despite being the market leader.

Vaseline: The voice of a nation

Basheera Indorewala and Sanjay Sharma

Campaign details

Brand owner: UnileverAgency: BBH Communications Pvt LtdBrand: Vaseline Petroleum JellyCountry: IndiaChannels used: Newspapers, Public relations, Social media, Word of mouth and viralMedia budget: Up to 500k

Executive summary

"Has Vaseline on the outside edge saved the day for Laxman?"

Tweet, Michael Vaughan

The popular adage 'in the right place at the right time' best describes the cricketing controversy that the Vaseline brand, through no fault of its own, got dragged into.

In a country like India,...

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