Independence Day Campaigns Your Audience Will Actually Remember
With each Independence Day comes a wave of patriotism flooding our social media handles, which sees many brands putting on tricolour logos and posting greetings. Nothing wrong with this approach, of course; however, the result is predictable and uninspiring. Successful campaigns take a different approach. They see the holiday as a source, rather than just a date. They look for a story, insight or message that ties the concept of patriotism with the brand. As a result, they talk about responsibility, progress, culture, innovation and identity, rather than the nation as such. This year, a handful of brands managed to take the challenge. Here are some examples of successful Independence Day campaigns and the lessons they teach us as marketers. JSW Paints: Respect the Tricolour, Respect Our Spaces There are some things every Indian person saw at least once in their life. JSW Paints decided to focus on one of those issues people spitting on walls painted by shopkeepers in different places of the country. Regardless of how often the latter repainted their property, the former continued with their disgusting habit. Finally, the shopkeeper paints the wall in the colors of the Indian tricolour. When the biker visits again, he plans to spit but stops at the sight of the wall. He smiles and gives a salute instead. This is how the campaign poses a simple question – if we respect the flag, why can’t we respect the spaces around us? boAt: Made in India, Made for Today’s Generation boAt decided to take a completely opposite route and embraced the internet culture. The campaign features boAt products through some of the most famous meme personalities and online characters popular among the younger audience. The campaign brings elements of entertainment, humor and storytelling into the product presentation in order to reinforce boAt’s Made in India positioning. Without any traditional patriotism elements, the campaign celebrates new India created by creators, the digital culture and local innovations. SBI General Insurance: Looking Back to Move Forward SBI General Insurance took a slightly different path for their Independence Day celebration and created a rather reflective campaign. It highlights the heritage of India as well as the impressive journey the country has taken since its independence. By combining the images of the past and contemporary development, the film does not overstate itself, but still allows us to feel proud. We must appreciate our current state and understand where it originated from. SolarSquare: Apna Desh, Apni Bijli The key concept for SolarSquare campaign is energy independence. With a film featuring a SolarSquare car passing by the iconic sites throughout the country, the brand promotes its idea of “Apna Desh, Apni Bijli.” The message combines patriotism with sustainability and self-reliance, which makes it quite relevant. Unlike other films that just celebrate independence, SolarSquare presents an idea of the country’s future and clean energy. Balaji Wafers: The Flavour of India For the celebration of the Independence Day, Balaji Wafers created a film featuring colorful motion graphics of monuments, cultural icons and people of various regions of India. There is no complex storyline in this campaign. The message of this festive creative is rather simple it celebrates the diversity of India’s traditions and people, its regions and culture. Tata Tea Premium: One Nation, Many Traditions Similarly, Tata Tea Premium continues with their culture-driven storyline by exploring traditions and practices related to tea in various regions of India. Some of the regions that were visited in the process are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala. Unlike many others who present one face of India to viewers, the campaign recognizes the diversity of the country and reminds that despite having unique identities, each part adds to the narrative of the whole nation. What These Campaigns Get Right Though all these campaigns approach Independence Day differently, there is one feature that unites them, none of them sees the occasion as an essence of their concept. JSW Paints speaks about responsibility to society. boAt promotes modern Indian culture. SBI General Insurance talks about achievements of the country during its years of independence. SolarSquare stresses on self-reliance. Balaji Wafers celebrates diversity. Tata Tea Premium shares the culture-rich story of the country. The occasion becomes just the point of departure. It is what makes these campaigns so interesting. While other brands create content about Independence Day only, here we see examples of campaigns that make viewers think even when there is no holiday anymore. Key Lesson from Bannstudio From Bannstudio campaigns, we can take away a lesson that great topical marketing always starts from the brand, and not from the event itself. The most successful creatives are not those that have just added a flag or some festive wishes. Those are the ones that have made an authentic connection between the event and the true meaning of the brand. It doesn’t matter whether it’s responsibility, innovation, culture or community – it’s the brands that tell the story that is relatable for the audience that become the winners.