In a time of increasingly shorter attention spans and extravagant marketing campaigns, one channel found the sweet spot of capturing the consumers’ attention and love in the simplest and most relevant manner for them.
&TV, an HGEC channel, is home to several cult shows like Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, Happu Ki Ultan Paltan, Ek Mahanayak - Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and its anticipated upcoming show, Atal (the childhood story of India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee).
As part of its channel marketing campaign, &TV saw an opportunity to make a difference in their consumers’ lives.
India ranks third in Road Accidents and first in fatalities, globally. [Source: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and World Bank]. A detailed analysis revealed that safety messages are always a one-way conversation, from authorities to the public. Not surprising then, that all messaging gets tuned out after some time.
At the heart of &TV’s communication strategy was a human insight that if citizens are at the heart of the cause, they themselves will help spread the message, and receptivity to that messaging will increase if received from a loved one. They developed a one-of-its-kind microsite where citizens could send personalized road safety messages to their loved ones via WhatsApp. The microsite also hosted a series of road safety videos shot with &TV’s most popular character, Angoori Bhabhi.
The campaign used clever wordplay on the show titled Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! to communicate the safety messages [E.g. Don’t drink and drive kyunki Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!]
The Mumbai Traffic Police came on board as a partner. And soon after, so did the Uttar Pradesh Traffic Police.
The campaign is a unique example of a brand cleverly using its assets to convey a message relevant to its consumers, in the most impactful way.
Khushnuma Daruwala, &TV Marketing Head, said, “Road safety is a serious issue in India, and we at &TV wanted to make a change in how the messaging was being crafted. Citizen to Citizen messaging and the play on the show’s name helped us design a relevant campaign for our viewers and helped strengthen the brand connect. It was an honour to partner with the Mumbai Traffic Police and the Uttar Pradesh Police in making our roads safer together. The campaign plays a pivotal role in raising awareness and encouraging responsible behaviour through messaging that is both functional and emotional.”
