The Campaign

The concept of entertainment has seeped so deeply into the psyche of the Indian consumer, that even hitherto serious subjects like sport in general and cricket in particular haven’t been spared this dose of entertainment (what with the IPL – Indian Premier League – Cricket Tournament reduced to a three and half hours “show” (the length of the average Bollywood film), with “item girls” doing a song & dance routine between the overs!) So, could brands be far behind in this “land of entertainment”? Brands have also jumped into the bandwagon of entertainment. From in-film placements to walk-in parts on television shows to even showing up in serious news-based channels like CNN, brands and branded entertainment has become the order of the day. There aren’t any restrictions really to what one can do with branded entertainment. Perhaps, the only restriction is creativity: Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am”.

Results

The target audience was drawn from new and existing customers. Gillette realized that in spite of being the No. 1 shaving brand, it had a low emotional connect with mass India. Our strategy was to inspire Indian men by bringing alive the spirit of the ‘Everyday Soldier’ in each Indian. To bring alive in them the values of Courage, Camaraderie, Integrity, Discipline and Grooming (Gillette values). We tied up with CNN-IBN and created a series of television episodes including television news and live debates. With every episode, we invited people to share stories of ‘Everyday Soldiers’. 400,000 people interacted with these stories and the most inspiring were felicitated with the ‘Blade of Honour’ at a public ceremony which was broadcasted live as part of the branded content. This set the stage for Gillette to amplify the movement and give it a 360 degree surround. As a tribute, Gillette changed its packaging to camouflage for the first time in 115 years. (In India, the camouflage is a symbol for soldiers - the soldiers for good.) A leading newspaper responded by printing its news on camouflage paper, and the Facebook Soldier Parade App was launched - all inviting people to share their stories. People were asked to give a missed call to join the petition. As the activity reached its peak, we launched 'The People's Movement', petitioning the President of India to dedicate 'The Gateway of India' to the everyday soldiers. We bathed the ‘Gateway of India’ in camouflage colors and held a week long activity in honour of the ‘Everyday Soldier’. This CNN-IBN series was broadcast live from the ‘Gateway of India’ on 26/11 (at the same sight of the terrorist attack on the city), creating national news.

Our idea was to bring alive the spirit of the ‘Everyday Soldier’ within each Indian. We were addressing a national cause and so partnered with a news channel to create credible content in the form of live debates. The Prime Time debates involved well known personalities - Bollywood stars, corporate leaders, ex-army generals. A petition to re-dedicate the ‘Gateway of India’ to everyday soldiers was then broadcast live from the Gateway on 26/11, the day when everyday soldiers fought back the terrorists 3 years ago. This created social relevancy for the content and led to high viewership.

The campaign got over $4.3 million worth of free editorial coverage. 50 television channels and 100 publications covered the action. More than 6 million new consumers joined the Gillette franchise. Over 731 million digital impressions. 1.2 million Indians physically participated in the petition. Razor sales grew by 220% to 12.4 million razors in less than 3 months. All key equities grew by +14 points. The Gateway Of India became the medium for the movement.