THE MASK WITH A MASK (SURAKSHA KE MUKHOTE)

TitleTHE MASK WITH A MASK (SURAKSHA KE MUKHOTE)
BrandPARINAAM FOUNDATION
Product / ServicePARINAAM FOUNDATION
CategoryB04. Use of Ambient Media: Small Scale
EntrantMcCANN INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Idea Creation McCANN INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Media Placement McCANN INDIA Mumbai, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Prasoon Joshi McCann Worldgroup India Chief Creative Officer
Ashish Chakravarty McCann Worldgroup India National Creative Director
Sambit Mohanty McCann Worldgroup Executive Creative Director
Rathish Subramaniam McCann Worldgroup Creative Director
Karthik R McCann Worldgroup Associate Creative Director
Suresh PV McCann Worldgroup Associate Creative Director
Regis Arockiaraj McCann Worldgroup Creative Team Leader
Neha Sukumar McCann Worldgroup Copywriter
Dileep Ashoka McCann Worldgroup Account Director
Sonal Devraj McCann Worldgroup Account Manager
Rakshendra Rai McCann Worldgroup Account Executive
Praveen Pallatt McCann Worldgroup Art Director
Karan Prabhakar McCann Worldgroup Agency Producer
Shiva S Tellywise Productions Director
Jai Sharma Independent Editor

Why is this work relevant for Media?

At the start of the lockdown, doorstep delivery personnel often forgot to wear their face masks, putting the families at risk. An age-old tradition, the evil-eye mask is found hanging outside most homes in India. We simply asked residents to tie a face mask over this evil-eye mask. This sent out a strong message that only those who wore face masks would be allowed into the home. This small, but eye-catching addition to an existing fixture served as a constant reminder for people to wear their face mask properly and thus, helped make interactions safer.

Background

With India entering a strict lockdown, most households were dependent on couriers and delivery personnel to receive essential commodities. While these personnel moved freely from door to door, oftentimes they forgot to wear their face masks. Because of which there was a risk of the virus spreading even faster. It was essential to catch them at crucial touchpoints and create an unforgettable reminder that would help them make wearing a face mask, an everyday habit.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

In India, cultural traditions and rituals hold a place of high esteem across all strata of society. So much so, that people tend to pay more heed to it than to science. One such tradition that has been followed over centuries, is the act of hanging the mask of Asura – the evil-eye demon outside the home. It is believed that this mask wards off evil and keeps the residents of that home safe from all external threats. By simply tying a face mask over the the evil-eye mask, this cultural icon reminded delivery personnel to adopt one of the most essential preventive measures against COVID-19.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Parinaam Foundation - a non-profit organization whose key areas of work included healthcare of the community, decided to harness the power of this cultural icon to get these delivery personnel to adopt the habit of wearing a mask. All we did, was ask residents to tie a face mask over these evil eye masks. Since the evil mask is hung right outside the door or the gate of the home, it is quite unmissable. The masked avatars of these evil masks caught the attention of delivery personnel right before they interacted with the residents of that home, reminding them to wear their face masks properly.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We kickstarted the ‘Suraksha ke Mukhote’ campaign a few weeks into the lockdown (mid-April), by approaching residents in the temple town of Thanjavur and encouraging them to tie a face mask over the mask of the Asura hanging outside their home. This served as a constant reminder that the residents of that home would only allow those who wore face masks inside. Since the Asura is a constant fixture all year through, their masked avatars continue to remind the people of Thanjavur to don their face masks even today.

List the results (30% of vote)

Owing to the simplicity in execution yet definitive change in the behaviour of delivery personnel, soon neighbouring households started to join in. Within days of the campaign launch, the local media picked up on this story and soon, houses, bungalows, apartments and residential societies across Thanjavur began adopting this practice. This constant reminder helped reinforce the habit of wearing masks which in turn helped make home deliveries, families and the city a whole lot safer.