Background

When India was under lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, as a measure to raise the morale of people, the Prime Minister called on the nation to gather on April 5th at 9 PM for 9 minutes, to hold up hope in the form of a lit candle, diyas (earthen lamps), or a mobile phone torch. Questions were raised questioning the efficacy of the activity. On analyzing the sentiments, we discovered that the activity intended to unite the nation, had ignited a divide amongst its netizens. It was our "now or nothing" moment to stop the increasing discord and negativity in the country at a time when it was absolutely necessary for people to stand together. The situation called for an idea on behalf of the brand, which could help bridge this divide and bring the nation together to participate in the activity with a simple message of unity.

Describe the creative idea

In the times of lockdown when people could not purchase candles or earthen lamps, the idea was to create a ‘home-delivered’ Virtual Candle - flaming with the pride of our National Anthem - something that would invoke pride in citizens of India. The virtual candle, with the message 'Jaya He' (May the victory be with you), was aimed at bringing people together, from all corners of India to exhibit unity. Represented in a video that would remind the citizens of their obligation towards the nation and unite them irrespective of their location. Smartphones connect people despite social distancing, allowing them access to news and entertainment. We delivered the virtual candle to the people on their devices so that everyone could participate together despite different devices and opinions through one candle for one nation.

Describe the strategy

The sentiment of dissent was growing among the citizens of India, especially among young adults and those armed with opinions, smartphones, and access to the internet; questioning the effectiveness of the #5PM5Minutes activity. Invoking the essence of empowerment, passion, vibrancy, optimism, that are associated with the brands of Times Hollywood Network, we devised a strategy to offer the country a reason to come together and collaborate at the time of crisis and pledge their allegiance towards the larger national interest. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook were picked to home deliver the virtual candle to the citizens on their smartphones. This strategy, driven by the philosophy "Now or Nothing", was poised to give the Network a definitive inroad into the hearts of the people with a higher emotional value.

Describe the execution

A video of 9 minutes was conceptualised to match the duration prescribed by the Hon' Prime Minister of India. Featuring a burning candle, the video was supported with a soothing extended version of the Indian national anthem as the background score. Right from the initial stages of the concept, to shortlisting from over 100 versions and procuring the usage rights of the music to creating the final video; everything was executed within 24 hours of the announcement. The campaign was launched on Instagram and Facebook on April 5 and lasted for the whole day. Using the same social media platforms, we proactively reached out to netizens who shared the sentiment of 'disappointment' with a customised message and urged them to stand together and play the video at 9 PM.

List the results

Delivering the virtual candle of hope in record time to our audience post the announcement, we received 50K+ organic views with a total reach of 14.8M+ within a few hours of uploading the post. The audience exhibited a 100% positive statement and our patrons took it to their social media accounts to express their happiness on being associated with the initiative. Netizens of the nation supported our revolutionary Virtual Candle - the Flame of Hope with an open heart and mind. Our peers too came forward to join in the cause to hold up the virtual flame of hope. Our objective to fuel the nation's hope and strengthen its unity against a global pandemic was achieved, reassuring the people that there's light at the end of the tunnel.