The Campaign

#ReleaseThePressure - is a movement committed to give teenagers a momentary release from the stress of exam pressure and parental expectations. Mirinda communicated the idea by turning 11 million of its bottles into media and made each bottle an instrument of social activism and change. The labels of these 11 million Mirinda bottles carried authentic letters from teenagers to their parents, the idea #ReleaseThePressure appeared on all the bottle caps and became an iconic symbol of the movement nudging parents to turn the cap and pledge their resolve

Creative Execution

We asked kids across India to write open letters to their parents describing how they feel under pressure. As the letters poured in, the brand released a hard hitting digital film It triggered a nationwide debate and outpouring of empathy. The brand then did the unthinkable; it turned its 11 million bottles into media. Authentic open letters appeared on all Mirinda bottles. Mirinda then underlined its commitment with an action - the bottle cap! The cap became an iconic symbol of the movement and an instrument of social activism and change. Psychologists joined the campaign to offer free advice online to parents and students. By using brand owned media to lead the movement and reach out to people, the Mirinda bottle became an instrument of social change.

Results

An issue bubbling below the surface for the longest time, finally got its due acknowledgement. Mirinda not only became the voice of the teens but showed parents a beautiful way to support their kids. Consumer engagement went up 1100% as conversation around Mirinda grew 138x higher than the nearest beverage brand Over 193 media articles were written in support of the awareness created by the brand The digital film was viewed 35 million times in just one month, generating over 649 million free earned impressions More importantly, 1.57 million parents across the country pledged to release the pressure this exam season with Mirinda Making Mirinda the most loved brand for teens and an unlikely agent of change for millions of teenagers needing a release this exam season.

#ReleaseThePressure is a movement committed to give teenagers a momentary release from the stress of exam pressure and parental expectations. Mirinda did the unthinkable, by re-designing the label on 11 million of its bottles to carry authentic open letters from teenagers to their parents. The bottle became an instrument of social activism and change. The idea #ReleaseThePressure appeared on all the bottle caps and became an iconic symbol of the movement nudging parents to turn the cap and pledge their resolve.

For 2017 the brief was to give Mirinda playfulness a meaning. Instinctively, the insight revealed itself. Playfulness matters the most to diffuse a stressful situation. We heard from teens, across India, on the stress points in their lives and saw one common theme: parental pressure during exams. In India high school exams are seen as the end all in a teenager’s life. It is seen as the turning point towards a better future. Parents put extreme pressure on their kids to excel without realizing the serious negative effects on their kids’ mental health. Reports suggest, parental pressure is the leading cause for suicide and depression amongst teenagers, especially during Jan-Mar, the time for final exams in India. Mirinda decided to step forward to make a difference. We decided to call all parents to take a pledge to #ReleaseThePressure on their children.