Several brands are launching socially conscientious campaigns this Diwali, spreading the message of humanity over ritual. By Team Viva
The festivities might be around but the world still remains a dark place for some. Economic disparity, gender inequality, food shortage, hunger, unemployment, illiteracy, pollution, climate change and numerous other problems are some issues that the world is confronted with each day. And the worst affected are the ones who have to bear the brunt rather than the ones who observe or talk about these issues. So how can more people be made aware and empathetic to these problems? It is not for nothing that cause marketing has become the trend of the decade as several brands are creating space for inclusivity in the society through their ad campaigns.
Be it the advertisement of Saregama Caravan music player aimed at avoiding noisy crackers that adversely affect senior citizens and animals during Diwali; the Snapdeal #CelebrateTheHeroes festive collection that focussed on commemorating the efforts of army officers and policemen which guard the nation while we engage in making merry; or the #SaareMaelDhoDaalo campaign by Ghadi Detergent, aiming at cleaning one’s own mind before the Diwali safai — many of them have hit just the right chord with their highly emotional appeal. We analyse the trend this Diwali.
The Delhi Government, through their community laser light show, has urged the citizens to visit Connaught Place during Diwali and enjoy the show with an aim of moving beyond bursting crackers and in turn, reducing pollution. The hour-long shows will be staged between October 26 and 29. Special parking arrangements and battery-operated vehicles will also be pressed into service.
Some campaigns also focus on promoting the idea that Diwali is special for everyone — Diwali toh sabki hoti hai! Much like the #TuJashnBanKisiKiZindagiKa, Umeed Ka Diya campaign by HP that surfaced on the Indian internet last year, breaking records with its simple message and a great execution of an important idea.
‘Yeh Diwali sabke saath manatey hain. Khaali haath kisi ko wapas nahi bhejte hain!’ campaign by Swiggy has again won many hearts as it promotes the idea of just giving and catering to every person who knocks at your doorstep.
Indiabulls home loans unveiled their campaign #SwatchDiwali, wherein the people of a housing society, after enjoying the festival and feeding on multiple delicacies, clean up all the mess on their ramp. The next morning, when the society sweeper arrives with his broomstick, he looks at the area, which doesn’t have even a hint of garbage. It aims to make Diwali special for even the ragpickers, who, during the festival, are busy sweeping up the streets and picking the refuse outside people’s homes, instead of celebrating.
Ironically, #MyAsliConnection campaign by Reliance Digital, conceptualised by 21N78E Creative Labs, nudges people to spend quality time with their loved ones during Diwali rather than spending endless hours on social media or binge-watching web-series.
There are also some campaigns that are not just promoting an idea to initiate it among people but are acting upon them too. A social campaign by 93.5 RED FM in collaboration with Feeding India, a development organisation that works on issues like hunger, malnutrition and food wastage in the country, is making efforts to curb hunger during this festive season. Under their #IssDiwaliNoPaetKhaali campaign, RED FM will ask its listeners to nominate their localities to host ‘happy fridges’ which will be installed by Feeding India free of cost.
Nisha Narayanan, COO and director, RED FM and Magic FM, says, “Our country is dealing with serious issues of food wastage and hunger. With festivities around the corner, it’s an opportunity to realise that there are many among us who are deprived of one of the basic necessities. We are proud to announce our campaign, where we will create awareness about this community refrigerators programme and help them with leads to install fridges across India.”
Srishti Jain, co-founder, Feeding India, says, “We have set up free fridges in residential and commercial complexes to facilitate communities in providing immediate, anonymous and dignified access to food, to those in desperate need. Each fridge serves between 1,500 to 2,000 meals a month. Anyone who is hungry can take food from the fridges.”
The campaign is on across 21 cities — Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Siliguri, Jamshedpur, Patna, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Nasik, Aurangabad, Bhopal and Indore.
#BurnTheBhedhBhaav (instead of burning crackers), a campaign by &Pictures is inspired by the film and Article 15 of the Indian Constitution that prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. It reflects on how in our day-to-day lives, we come across instances where discrimination takes place in which either we are the ones initiating it or we may be unknowingly a part of it.
So this year make sure that the wish ‘Happy Diwali’ is not just confined to your immediate surroundings as you spread the cheer far and wide beyond even perhaps your pale of influence.
