Results and Effectiveness

Populist call for vengeance. But today it has: - Music & screen icons on both sides joining the cause - Massive editorial and media PR worth over US$ 2.5 million - Commended by governments around the world - Cross - border Business & Trade Convention on the anvil - Over 40 user - generated videos - Over 150 blogs and over 15,000 dialogues - 5 Facebook communities - 12 large Music Festivals - 4 Poetry and Literature Festivals - ONE RENEWED HOPE FOR PEACE

Creative Execution

The solution was to reduce the ghetto-isation of minds and hearts by bringing both people face to face once again with the shared cultures of a common heritage. Launched on the 1st of Jan with the most courageous full front page in Indian media history, the campaign sparked off a public debate that saw a saw the roll out in print, television, radio and outdoor underlining the same incredulous notion. Meanwhile renowned poets, lyricists and screen megastars were roped in to the cause. Anthems were composed, an Indo-Pak music album released and editorial support activated on a huge scale. The second leg saw several heavily-advertised Music Concerts and Poetry-Literature Festivals across India with iconic names from Pakistan crossing over to perform with Indian legends to massive crowds. A school activation campaign saw a handkerchief chain with peace messages by children actually stretching all the way from India to Pakistan

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

After the horrific 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, India-Pakistan hatred had reached fever pitch with the two nuclear powers seething on the brink of a catastrophic confrontation. It was in this hostile atmosphere that India's largest media group decided to join hands with the biggest media house in Pakistan in a historic first, to launch an audaciously brave people-to-people movement that would stand up for peace against the populist jingoism of war. The Times of India is the world's largest-read English newspaper. Its target audience cuts across all socio-economic groups and it's widely recognised as the pulse of the world's largest democracy. Our insight was derived from the simple historical fact that both populations share a common cultural, musical, literary, artisitic, ethnic and even culinary heritage. And the basic truth most our commonalities remained intact despite the political divides thrust upon us by manipulated agendas of the modern world.