Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Due to the lockdown imposed during COVID-19 the country was dealing with a new problem. But to enforce the toughest lockdown, India had one of the most understaffed police forces in the world- With 1 police per 1000 people. It was physically impossible for them to ensure that every single one of the 135.26 crores of citizen stayed home. We had to speak to a set of responsible citizens to partner the police force and be instrumental in taking responsibility of the safety of the country and get more people influenced to do the same as well.

Background

Considering India has the 2nd highest population in the world, COVID-19 was bound to pose a huge threat. A nation-wide lockdown was announced on 25th March 2020, with just a 4 hours’ notice. Social distancing and staying home became the need of the hour but would be helpful only if every citizen abided by it. It was physically impossible to ensure that every single one of the 1.3 bn citizen stayed home, especially since India had one of the most understaffed police forces in the world- 1 policeman per 1000 people. Thus it was imperative to create a behavior change and awareness campaign. The objective was to build a system of self-policing, wherein responsible community of citizens were made accountable for their own safety and health, as well as that of their families and the country at large.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

An idea that turned ordinary citizens into cops. The campaign idea began with #MainBhiMumbaiPolice (#IAmAlsoMumbaiPolice), to signal that a community of responsible citizens voluntarily assuming the role of the Police, instilling a strong sense of accountability and responsibility in them to help motivate others in the country to self-police. As the Mumbai Police campaign took off successfully, it inspired the police forces of different states of India like Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bangalore and Haryana also to join the movement of self-policing. Creating the umbrella campaign thought of #MainBhiIndianPolice (IAmAlsoIndianPolice). Post this, an unfortunate incident took place in Punjab, wherein a police officer had his arm chopped off by a group of lockdown violators. This sparked off a wildfire of support, making the campaign not just about self-policing and safety, but about being one with the police in true solidarity and support.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

It started with us identifying the most supportive Samaritans and reaching out to them via the police social media account to help take on this role. This database was carefully curated by the police force data mining team to identify individuals who would take on this big responsibility and also influence others. The Bollywood and Sports community was also reached out to get the advantage of their influence and ensure more people partner the cause. To ensure we reach the maximum number of people we choose to talk to them with a digital first approach. The campaign encouraged participation from people through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and amplified the message using WhatsApp. Given how relatable the message was, the campaign fueled a constant stream of user generated content, with more citizens participating by holding up placards supporting the # making a strong resolves of their own.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The campaign idea began with #MainBhiMumbaiPolice (#IAmAlsoMumbaiPolice), to signal that citizens voluntarily assumes the role of the Police, instilling a sense of accountability for their safety and wellbeing. As the Mumbai Police campaign took off, it inspired the police forces of India like Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bangalore and Haryana also to join the movement. Creating the umbrella campaign thought of #IAmAlsoIndianPolice. Post this, an unfortunate incident took place in Punjab, wherein a police officer`s arm was chopped off by a group of lockdown violators. This sparked off a wildfire of support, making the campaign not just about self-policing, but also about solidarity. The entire campaign was executed pro-bono. The creatives were launched on Police’s Twitter handle and then launched across other social media handles. PR helped rope in famous celebrities who supported the cause by posting on their social media handles.

List the results (30% of vote)

The primary objective of the campaign was to spread awareness and ensure that people maintain lockdown norms, the campaign received tremendous support from the citizens of India, including celebrities like Bollywood actors and sportspersons, across social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. The posts on social media generated a cumulative reach of 248 mn. The campaign received media traction as well, be it print, digital or radio. The cumulative media outreach was 779 mn. Citizens also posted images of themselves holding up the sign of # and also took it on themselves to report cases where violation of lockdown norms were spotted. To think that, back in 2018 only about 29.9 percent of Indians expressed a “lot of trust” in the police, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 this figure had significantly shot up to an overwhelming 70 percent Indians expressing the same feeling. (As per IANS-CVoter tracking survey, 2020).