Celebrating the shades of freedom
Independence Day is a sight of celebration, festivity, and countrymen beaming with pride and patriotism. Every year brands prepare impactful campaigns to connect and celebrate this memorable day with their patrons. This blog will look at some exciting lenses through which many brands strategised their Independence Day campaigns.
Celebrate unity: India has always been one of the most diverse countries in the world, and Indians have always abided by the “Unity in Diversity” ethos. Keeping this idea in mind, the FMCG brand Rage Coffee celebrated the diverse India of today. The brand launched a digital campaign with the tagline “India drinks Rage Coffee,” uniting India as a coffee-drinking community. The campaign celebrated its multiple retail outlets in various states and added creative illustrations representing symbols from each state. The digital celebration spread over four days, from August 13 to August 16, honoured the country’s commitment to the ideals of “Unity in Diversity.”
The problem-fixing approach: Sometimes, it is good to laugh at our shortcomings while correcting them simultaneously. Having a cool-headed approach to resolving conflicts is a quality that Indians keenly celebrate. JSW Paints took a fresh take to fix the problem of spitting paan on the walls through paint. When the colour white was ineffective in keeping the paan-spitter away, the shopkeeper in the ad used the tricoloured flag of India to educate the paan-spitter. Upon seeing the colour of the country’s flag, the repeated offender realises his mistake and apologises to the shopkeeper standing next to the wall. This campaign shows a light-hearted way of showing the prevalent malpractices observed in the country and uses the troupe of humour to correct them.
The then and now approach: TATA has always played an integral role in building the nation. Over the years, the brand has immensely contributed to the country’s prosperity and development. This year, TATA Tea Premium established itself as the “Desh Ki Chai” in the Independence Day campaign through its tagline #DeshKaGarv. The brand’s advert used the time-lapse perspective to juxtapose the past’s important events with the present. The campaign also added a storytelling element explaining this connection. With the taglines “Desh Ki Chai” and “Desh Ka Garv,” TATA once again successfully united the audience on the grounds of the country’s perseverance, integrity, and diversity.
Bringing social awareness to taboo topics: Today, one in three women in India suffers from UTI diseases caused due to poor public sanitation. In today’s India, where women accomplish new feats of empowerment daily, it becomes imperative for us as a society to talk about the taboo topics that hinder our development. The B2B company Pee Safe asked employees to discuss their fears and write them all over the board. Later, the list of fears was spray painted, and the employees wrote the word ‘Freedom’ over them. The campaign tagline #FearSeFreedom and the catchline “Say It Then Spray It” aimed at solving many fears that we experience daily, including the anxiety of using public restrooms. This type of campaign highlights the willingness of young entrepreneurs to come up with solutions to counter the widespread healthcare crisis in our country today.
The hope for a better future approach: The youth of India brims with a lot of potential. The children of today’s India are the leaders of tomorrow. By promoting this responsibility, the BYJU’S Independence Day campaign places the children of the present as the heroes of the future. With its tagline “Celebrating the Past. Investing in the Future”, the Ed-Tech company positions the children of the present with their future achievements. The campaign’s message is that today’s children will become tomorrow’s successful doctors, scientists, sportspersons, laureates, artists, etc., if we invest in their present. Through the campaign, the brand celebrates the importance of education and training in building the India of tomorrow.
Showing mirror to society: Modern India is free and is also reflective of the woes that exist today. CashKaro’s thought-provoking campaign with the title #BachatKiAzadi exposes the malpractice of bargaining in the country and highlights the hypocritical attitudes towards the poor working class. Unlike other ad campaigns, this advert does not take a celebratory route. Instead, it focuses on the bigger picture, i.e., eradicating issues hindering the country’s development. The campaign portrays the labourers, rickshaw pullers, house-helpers, and fruit and vegetable vendors as the silent heroes of India. This way, the brand promotes the ethical manner of saving money instead of exploiting low-wage workers.
Showing a brand’s entrepreneurial contribution to the country: A successful country cannot be built in one day. India has embodied an entrepreneurial zest over the ages, the results of which we are reaping today. Godrej’s famous “Sounds of Making India” campaign celebrates this spirit. This year’s example used the brand’s history alongside the nation’s history. With an impressive 125 years in the making, the campaign depicted India’s entrepreneurial spirit even before it gained Independence. The ad also featured the moving patriotic song “Saare Jahaan Se Acha.” The message received from the campaign is about how millions of people have benefitted from the success of companies like Godrej.
The technique of powerful narration: India has consistently demonstrated its strength and sportsmanship in various fields. Despite all odds, our athletes exhibit exemplary performances every year. Thums Up celebrated this side of India’s Independence by combining animation and storytelling this year. The campaign’s title, #HarGharToofan paid homage to the contributions made by our country’s athletes. The montage subverted the misconception that India is too “poor” to compete with its inadequate resources by recounting the brave feats of our country. The brand’s creativity excelled throughout the campaign in its use of powerful narration and vibrant colours.
The campaigns took the most celebrated concepts of Independence Day and spun unconventional twists on them. These out-of-the-box ways struck a right chord with the audience. It becomes imperative for brands to find myriad ways of including creativity, freshness, and authenticity to celebrate India’s independence. By bringing excitement and uniqueness to celebratory campaigns, brands can maintain the nation’s motivation and spirit and find innovative and refreshing ways to connect with the audience.
