Brian Cox, master of simmering rage and Shakespearean scowls, has recently become an unlikely ambassador for Taking It Easy.
In a Malibu ad, he swaps menace for leisure, roller-skating down a boardwalk in a pink suit, gently urging us to “clock off” and unwind. In a separate campaign for ASICS, he returns to his familiar sternness (with just a dash of humour), warning us about the perils of excessive desk time and extolling the virtues of walking away, literally, for the sake of mental health.
It was Karthik Srinivasan who first spotted the coincidence. Two ads. Two brands. One Brian Cox, preaching the gospel of Not Trying So Hard. Karthik is a sharp observer of advertising, someone whose creative insights I admire. The sort that sneaks into your thinking and quietly reorganises the furniture just so slightly differently that you wonder if you imagined it, except now it looks so much better!
He noticed the spark. I “dreamt up” the rest.
Because once you have one Brian Cox dismantling the hustle cult, the only logical step is to bring in the other. The physicist. One Cox rooted in quantum theory. The other in existential exasperation. Together, they form the Coxverse.
(You know, with a name like that, we might as well bring in Ryan Reynolds and his Deadpool impression at some point; I mean, no point resisting, if you know what I mean.)
Here’s what that looks like:
(Actor Cox = A Cox, Physicist Cox = P Cox)
IKEA – Reclination, Not Procrastination
The Coxes eye a badly assembled POÄNG, hands on their hips.
A Cox: “Some see a flat-pack. I see a flat nap.”
P Cox squints at the manual.
P Cox: “The angles defy Euclidean geometry.”
A Cox: “Try thinking about it sitting down.”
They sit. The chair holds. They float. Gently smiling.
Neeman’s – Run? Only If You Must
A Cox savours a samosa.
A Cox: “They say movement is medicine. I say: so is ghee.”
P Cox comes into the scene jogging.
P Cox: “Cardio enhances neuroplasticity.”
A Cox: “So does not rushing.”
They walk. Slowly. Squirrels rush past. Birds chirp.
boAt – Noise Cancelling for the Soul
Airport lounge, peak chaos. A Cox stares us down.
A Cox: “We’ve conquered sound. And yet, here we are.”
He puts on boAt headphones. Silence.
Cut to a beach. P Cox joins, drinks in hand.
P Cox: “In silence, the brain recalibrates time.”
A Cox: “In silence, I don’t have to hear you explain it.”
Both put on headphones. Silence.
Amul – The Ice Cream is Melting. So Should You.
Moody lighting. A Cox, mid-spoonful.
A Cox: “Deadlines? No. Dairy-lines? Always.”
P Cox enters, takes off his glasses, and squints at the scoop.
P Cox: “Entropy keeps increasing.”
A Cox: “So does my enjoyment. Kindly vanish.”
A Cox takes a spoonful. P Cox slowly melts.
Sleepwell – The Bed is the New Boardroom
A Cox lies in bed, reading War and Peace.
P Cox enters with a laptop.
P Cox: “Shouldn’t we at least check our email?”
A Cox: “Shouldn’t we not?”
Both toss pillows at each other. In slow motion.
Voiceover: “Why rise and grind when you can recline and unwind?”
A giant lid of the laptop shuts out the entire scene. Darkness. Noises of snoring.
The idea is less about selling and more about something else entirely. Perspective. A quiet rebellion against noise. Against hustle. Against the idea that we must keep moving all the time to be alive. A reminder that perhaps, we do not need to be everywhere, always, all at once. We can just… be.
Just breathe. It’s all right.
