12 March 2020: Holi is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of India. Irrespective of their religion, caste or creed, people converge to the streets and get immersed in colours. The festival signifies the diversity of India and is also symbolic of good’s victory over evil. The significance of Holi and the festivities associated is also an occasion for brands and popular platforms to come with unique campaigns. However, there are a few brands that refrain from using the occasion merely as a promotional tool, rather they ensure that while they ensure the commercial outreach, they also pass on a message to their consumers.
Holi 2020 witnessed several such campaigns, of which five brands stood out of the clutter. Their message was well imbibed in their campaign, making a significant impact on the viewers/consumers. Let’s take a look at the best of Holi 2020:
1. Facebook
As part of its Holi campaign, the social media giant came up with the video that referred to those who are away from their family and friends on the occasion of Holi. The video featured the story of a man who owns a store in Romania while his friends are back home in India. Looking at their colourful Holi photographs on Facebook makes him sad and in response he posts a picture clicked amid snow. The status along with the picture says, “Safed Holi” (colourless Holi). Disappointed over the same, his friends contact his acquaintances in Romania through Facebook, instruct them on how to make colours and thus ensure that their friend in foreign land does not have a colourless Holi. The theme of the video is ‘More Together’.
2. Likee
The pioneering short video platform by Singapore-based BIGO Technology Pte Ltd launched a campaign to enable people enjoy Holi without being scared of menace like Coronavirus. With #LikeeHoliHai2020 campaign, the platform ensured that not just your wishes, but even the colours reached those who are in far-away land. The campaign also came to the rescue of people who are scared of colours. The idea behind Likee’s Holi campaign was to provide a platform for safe Holi and bring your near and dear ones closer to you, at least virtually.
3. Fbb
The popular apparel brand’s Holi campaign came with a message of making the festival safer for women. Themed #BuraNaKhelo, the campaign featured actress Mithila Palker, who has acted in several Bollywood films and Netflix originals. In a video shot for the campaign, Mithila talks about how some people misuse the occasion to try their dirty tricks with females on the pretext of playing Holi. The campaign asserted that it’s high time such practices were stopped. So instead of ‘Bura Na Maano Holi Hai’, they came up with #BuraNaKhelo, which aptly communicates the theme of the campaign.
4. Indian Oil
The government-owned oil and gas company gave the message of unity in diversity through its Holi campaign titled #RangAnekPehchaanEk. The message shown in their campaign video was that different colours have different significance and characteristics, but on Holi, they all jointly reflect just one thing – colour. It does not matter whether it’s blue or red or yellow, all that matters on Holi is that you smear the faces of your loved ones with different hues. The message further said that similarly, people must forget their differences on such occasions and jointly celebrate the festival of colours.
5. Livpure
Livpure, a brand that signifies safe drinking water, came up with a message of water-less Holi this year. In the campaign video, a group of kids can be seen giving the message of water conservation to adults who do not seem to bother about the wastage of water on Holi. The message associated with the campaign says, “Playing Holi with water isn’t so much fun when it causes so much water loss. This Holi, let’s change it. Iss baar #BinaPaaniHoliManaani.”
While there are several other brands that launched Holi campaigns on varied themes, the aforementioned brands didn’t go merely for promotion. Instead, they equipped their promotion with various causes and strived towards making the festival of colours safer for all.
