Rust never sleeps, but it can be outsmarted

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) launched a nationwide integrated campaign featuring the ‘Rustians’ to showcase the value proposition of Optigal, a corrosion-resistant colour-coated steel product. Creative services agency Creativeland Asia developed the campaign to blend education with entertainment.

The ad turns a complex technical topic of how rust forms on exposed surfaces like cut edges, and how a magnesium alloy coating protects steel; into an engaging story.

Ranjan Dhar, director and vice president for sales and marketing at AM/NS India, said, “AM/NS India is increasingly using original storytelling to bring our proven, world-class steel innovations into more homes, businesses, and infrastructure across the country. This latest advertisement on Optigal, a world-class product that is now being manufactured domestically, aligns with our overall vision of ‘Smarter Steels, Brighter Futures’, and we are happy to have collaborated with Creativeland Asia to bring this vision to reality.”
The 60-second CGI film simplifies complex steel protection technology through imaginative storytelling, humour, and visual intrigue. The 'Rustians' are portrayed as larger than life characters in a subtly menacing but memorable fashion, underlining the constant war steel faces against corrosion. Optigal, which is a proprietary substrate alloy technology developed using ArcelorMittal’s patented zinc-aluminium-magnesium alloy coating, is presented as a smarter, longer-lasting solution that neutralises these corroding forces like never before. The idea was to simplify science through narrative.

Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and chairman of Creativeland Asia, said, “We wanted to make corrosion protection easy to understand, even for someone with no technical background. The Rustians gave us a creative language to do just that. At the same time, we hoped to introduce a fresh voice in an industry where messaging can often sound alike. By personifying rust — giving it character and story — we aimed to spark genuine curiosity, making corrosion protection both accessible and memorable.”

To promote the campaign, AM/NS India is using a multi-platform outreach strategy that includes TV, digital channels, print media, and OTT platform. In the weeks leading up to the film's release, AM/NS India executed a phased on-ground teaser activation. High-footfall areas across Indian cities were tagged with graffiti-style messages — ‘Rustians were here!’, paired with bold X-marks, mimicking street art and igniting curiosity among passersby. The cryptic signs quickly generated buzz, spilling over onto social media.

Complementing the on-ground presence, a coordinated digital build-up involved influencers and popular meme pages, creating teaser content that heightened curiosity ahead of the commercial’s release.

Campaign’s take: What happens when you mash up Wall-E’s junkyard aesthetic with the chaotic charm of Minions? You get Rustians—pirate-like pests with a taste for steel and a penchant for chomping anything metallic. In its latest integrated campaign, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) gives rust a makeover, casting it as a gang of scrapyard misfits, led by the toothy Captain Chomp.

Set in a rusted oil drum in a rundown park (cinema's new villain lair?), these steel-munching scoundrels wage war on metal—until they meet their match: a roof coated with Optigal. Their teeth bounce off, not their swagger. The message? This isn't your average anti-rust coating; it’s corrosion’s kryptonite, thanks to a magnesium-aluminium-zinc alloy that’s more high-tech than the villains deserve.

By turning rust from a silent nuisance into a full-blown antagonist, AM/NS India reframes how industrial tech can be marketed. No dry specs, just sharp storytelling and even sharper satire. It’s not a Marvel reboot, but it does reboot B2B marketing for steel with surprising charm.

Aimed at making complex tech digestible, Creativeland Asia’s campaign paints corrosion as beatable, visible—and maybe even meme-worthy. That’s one way to galvanise attention.