LAST WORDS

TitleLAST WORDS
BrandINDIAN ASSOCIATION OF PALLIATIVE CARE (IAPC)
Product / ServiceAWARENESS ON PALLIATIVE CARE
CategoryE05. Education & Services aimed at Non-Healthcare Professionals
EntrantMEDULLA COMMUNICATIONS Mumbai, INDIA
Idea Creation MEDULLA COMMUNICATIONS Mumbai, INDIA
Production A NINETEEN FILMS Mumbai, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Mr. Praful Akali Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director
Mr. Amit Akali Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Chief Creative Officer
Mr. Ajay Takalkar Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Creative Supervisor, Art
Mr. Huzefa Roowala Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Content and Creative Director
Ms. Hensila Kawa Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Digital Media Specialist
Mr. Rahul Sengupta A Nineteen Films Director
Mr. Pradeep Das A Nineteen Films Producer
Mr. Padmanabhan Nair Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Creative Supervisor, Copy
Dr. Shraddha Tawate Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Director, Consumer Healthcare
Ms. Rasika Beke Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Marketing Consultant
Mr. Himanshu Sandhu Medulla Communications Pvt. Ltd. Conceptuliser and Producer
Mr. Himman Dhamija A Nineteen Films Director Of Photography
Mr. Abhilesh Shivalkar A Nineteen Films Editor
Mr. Sandeep Srinivasan A Nineteen Films Associate Director
Mr. Neil Mukherjee A Nineteen Films Music Composer

The Campaign

We unearthed the insight: Surprisingly, most last words are heard by nurses, not families. The creative idea: Could these dying last words – so far unheard by families – bring alive the need for palliative care? We interviewed more than 200 nurses across India and the most heart-rending last words they heard became the heart of our campaign – the film. The campaign used these real last words to start conversations on palliative care, then providing detailed information on palliative care, and finally supporting action through pledges.

Creative Execution

200 nurses were interviewed across India and the most heart-rending last words they heard became our film, which was launched by the Human Rights Commissioner. Social media became the heart of our campaign giving it virality and scale. Real last words were used to start conversations on palliative care. Pre-approved responses to expected queries on medical/ ethical perspectives were prepared. The clickable video got consumers to the website where they could learn more about palliative care and pledge to opt for it. All consumers who pledged got downloadable support kits with stickers for their medical files, letting their doctors know, “I’d like access to palliative care”. Influencers and journalists were a key part of our campaign – identifying influencers on social and health-based causes and weaving them into our social conversations. Palliative care associations across the world were approached to endorse the campaign and strengthen credibility.

The real last words resonated with consumers – the campaign probably served as a catharsis – with thousands confessing to have missed hearing the last words of their loved ones. And many more committing to opt for palliative care. Even doctors were not immune to the campaign, with many doctors committing to offer palliative care to their patients, while one even promised to start a palliative care hospital. The campaign achieved over 100 million impressions, half a million organic video views, and 8 million rupees of unpaid media, even trending at no. 3 all-India on Twitter. But real success was achieved when international palliative care associations adopted the campaign, as did members of parliament. The last words were finally being heard.

This campaign was focused on building the awareness and need for palliative care – thus needed to reach the maximum possible consumers but with extremely limited budgets. Social media solved this, allowing for a viral campaign that could get a life of its own. In India, talking about death is taboo. Achieving cultural change required initiation of conversations through influencers, unpaid media and peers. Sharing real last words on social media solved this challenge too. Once the need for palliative care had been established, it was critical to provide complete information. Hence, the social media campaign culminated at the website. When palliative care is required – at the time of imminent death – caregivers are in no shape to make this decision. Hence, like organ donation, it was critical to drive decisions during the campaign itself through pledges. To influence this critical decision, the campaign required strong endorsements.

Links

Website URL   |   Social Media URL   |   Social Media URL   |   Video URL