"The journey of The Whole Truth Foods’ campaign, ‘Protein ke Peeche Kya Hai?’, began with a brief from Shashank Mehta, Co-founder and CEO, The Whole Truth Foods. The idea was to turn protein powder mainstream, and to fundamentally move protein from the gym to the living room.
At the core of the brief was a key consumer insight: people are often scared off by protein powders because of the long list of ingredients that they don’t understand: big, complex chemical names. That led to flipping the conversation from the front of the pack to the back of the pack. That’s where ‘Protein ke Peeche Kya Hai?’ came into the picture.
As we started ideating, one line really clicked with us: ‘Protein ke Peeche Kya Hai?’ From there, the idea took off. We thought, why not completely rewrite the song and get bodybuilders to parody themselves?
From day one, the bodybuilders were central to the concept: styling, attitude, and the entire setup were clearly defined. Saying ‘yes’ to twenty bodybuilders in thongs dancing in an ad isn’t easy, but the brand backed it completely.
As Shashank is a consistent face of the brand, bringing him into the film helped close the loop. After all the parody and spectacle, his presence ensured the film landed cleanly on ‘The Whole Truth’, making the product and brand instantly clear.
We secured the music rights from Tips at a high cost. We were fortunate to get the song, and surprised that it hadn’t been used in advertising before.
One of the biggest constraints while making the film was getting the bodybuilders. Many of them were hesitant because the film is mocking conventional protein powders, and most professional bodybuilders have sponsorship deals with those brands.
The shoot wrapped in a single day. Credit to Indrashish Mukherjee and Kedhar Barve from Footloose Films for recreating the original song’s tone, right from matching the voices to rebuilding before layering in the new lyrics.
One anecdote I clearly remember, is simply having 15–20 bodybuilders in thongs on camera at all times. It’s definitely not something Arvind (Co-Founder of Manja), Projo (Co-Founder of Manja), or I ever imagined seeing on an agency monitor.
One realisation on set was that we had to switch off our advertising brains completely. I was the most anxious person on set. I kept asking the director, ‘Does this really work? Are we sure this isn’t too much?’
Ironically, the creative team was the most anxious about how it would land. But once we trusted the idea, everything clicked, and seeing those visuals on an agency monitor was surreal and unforgettable.
The campaign took off instantly within hours of launch, and the response was nonstop and impossible to ignore. While standard metrics mattered, the real validation came from people outside advertising; when non-industry friends called it fun, we knew it had landed.
In hindsight, the bravest choice was not pulling back. Resisting the urge to soften or dilute the idea, whether in visuals, performances, or the song, is what made the work bold and memorable. If we’d done any of that, this would’ve been a very different and very forgettable piece. I wouldn’t call the decisions brave as much as necessary. The key learning for me is this: when the best version of an idea demands something, you have to deliver it.
Watered-down ideas are endless and invisible. If there’s a core element that makes the work great, you have to fight for it even if it’s uncomfortable or worries the client because that’s how you reach the strongest version of the idea.”
About Suyash Barve
Suyash has over 15 years of advertising experience across agencies, including JWT, 22feet Tribal (DDB Mudra), and Creativeland Asia, working on brands such as Amazon Prime Video, Times of India, Mahindra, Netflix, Spotify, Budweiser, Ola Electric, and Taco Bell. His work has been recognised at Spikes Asia, LIA, Effies, and Goafest. He also hosts The Adventures of Cheap Beer, a podcast exploring inexpensive bars.
Advertisement I loved in 2025
• Flipkart: ‘SaSa LeLe’
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Native RO (Urban Company): ‘Lambi Judai’
(As told to Yash Bhatia)
