Seagram’s Xclamat!on pulls the plug on ‘!’ to spark youth buzz

MUMBAI: Seagram’s Xclamat!on Mixers, Pernod Ricard India’s newest foray into the mixers market, has announced its arrival with a mischievous social-media stunt aimed squarely at urban youth.

In a tie-up with keyboard app Bobble AI, which claims 75 million monthly active users, the brand temporarily removed the exclamation mark from users’ mobile keyboards for a day. Morning greetings and casual texts suddenly felt oddly flat, prompting confusion, jokes and a flood of online commentary on what life without “!” might look like.

The punctuation blackout rippled quickly across social media, with influencers including Kusha Kapila, Rahul Dua, Srishti Dixit, Tanmay Singh (Scout) and Mohak Narang amplifying the joke through posts on the missing mark. The hashtag #AddXclamat!onToLife climbed to the number one trending topic on X in India during the campaign.

Two days later, the brand restored the exclamation mark to announce the official launch of Seagram’s Xclamat!on Mixers, positioning the symbol as shorthand for energy, emotion and self-expression.

Pernod Ricard India CMO Debasree Dasgupta, said the idea captured the brand’s core philosophy. “There’s a difference between saying hello and saying hello! Taking the ‘!’ away makes you feel what’s missing, which is exactly what Xclamat!on stands for.”

Ogilvy North president Prakash Nair, said the insight was simple: remove the exclamation mark and every message loses its punch. “That tiny mark carries a world of emotion.”

WPP Media South Asia president Ajay Gupte, called the campaign a cultural moment that delivered scale and excitement beyond conventional launch advertising.

Bobble AI CEO Ankit Prasad said the collaboration showcased how technology could be used creatively to bring a brand story to life, while Renee Mitra, executive vp at Blink, said the brand’s active participation in online conversation helped it connect organically with younger audiences.