Seagram’s Xclamat!on uses punctuation blackout to launch mixers brand

Seagram’s Xclamat!on Mixers, the latest launch from Pernod Ricard India, has rolled out a high-impact social media campaign aimed at building awareness among urban youth. Rooted in the philosophy of inspiring people to live life in ‘Xclamat!ons’, the brand draws its identity from the expressive energy symbolised by the exclamation mark embedded in its name.

To bring this idea to life, Seagram’s Xclamat!on Mixers partnered with Bobble AI, a keyboard application with around 75 million monthly active users, largely comprising young, urban audiences. As part of the activation, Bobble AI temporarily disabled the ‘!’ punctuation mark on its keyboards for a day. Users woke up to messages where everyday expressions such as Good Morning and Hey appeared noticeably flat, without the familiar punctuation that adds emphasis and emotion.

By removing the ‘!’ from a significant portion of everyday digital communication, the brand created a moment of disruption that prompted users to reflect on how much expression the symbol carries in daily conversations. The absence quickly became a talking point, particularly among younger audiences who frequently use punctuation as shorthand for tone and intent.

Several well-known influencers amplified the activation by sharing their reactions to the missing punctuation. Content creators including Kusha Kapila, Rahul Dua, Srishti Dixit, Tanmay Singh (Scout) and Mohak Narang posted humorous takes on the confusion and emotional disconnect caused by texts without exclamation marks. The resulting conversations helped propel the campaign hashtag #AddXclamat!onToLife to the number one trending topic on X in India during the activation period.

Two days after the punctuation blackout, Seagram’s Xclamat!on Mixers reinstated the ‘!’ across the platform. This marked the formal announcement of the brand’s launch, positioned as bringing ‘Xclamat!on’ back into people’s lives and conversations.

Commenting on the campaign, Debasree Dasgupta, chief marketing officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, “Built into the brand name ‘Xclamat!on’ is the amped up energy that connects with its youthful target audience. The ! symbol is key to the brand and is expressed boldly right from its packaging to its communication. There’s a difference between saying just Hello and saying Hello! Adding the ‘!’ makes all the difference. Taking Xclamat!on out of the equation makes you wonder what life without it would be like. What better way to get consumers to experience the essence of the brand? The consumer engagement is heartening, and our idea was to use creativity to unlock brand awareness and ultimately, business results.”

Prakash Nair, president, Ogilvy North, explained the creative thinking behind the idea, saying, “While brainstorming, we asked ourselves: how do you make people feel the meaning of ‘Xclamat!on’? Simple – you take away their ‘!’ and suddenly every message feels flat. That tiny mark carries a world of emotion. Removing it became our fun, slightly mischievous way of showing the brand’s essence.”

Ajay Gupte, president, WPP Media South Asia, highlighted the media impact of the campaign. “In just a few days, this idea captured the internet’s imagination, trending on X.com and driving sustained participation from young audiences. It’s a powerful testament to how meaningful creativity and smart media choices can come together to deliver disproportionate impact. The campaign didn’t just build awareness for the brand, it created a cultural moment that introduced the brand with excitement and scale,” Gupte said.

Ankit Prasad, ceo, Bobble AI, described the collaboration as a technology-led storytelling exercise. “This collaboration is a truly unique use of technology to bring the brand’s story to life, and the engagement we’ve seen across Bobble AI ecosystem has been remarkable,” Prasad said, adding that it was one of the most synergistic campaigns for the platform.

Renee Mitra, executive vice-president, Blink, noted that the brand’s active participation in online conversations was central to the activation’s success, observing that youth audiences respond better to dialogue-led marketing than one-way content delivery.