#MyAsliConnection

The film

Summary

Diwali is a festival where families and loved ones are supposed to bond and spend quality time. But in an increasingly connected world, there’s a clear disconnect as people are more engaged with their electronic devices, be it for entertainment or work. For India’s leading electronics major, Reliance Digital, urging people to take a break from their devices during Diwali, their biggest sales season. was audacious yet significant for the greater good. Thus was born Asli (Real) Connection, a digital film-led campaign powered by social media that eschewed any promotional or sales messaging, but instead nudged people to rekindle their relationship with their loved ones. In times when views tend to be proportional to media spends, the campaign struck a chord as it garnered over 5 million organic views on social media platforms. Comments on feeds corroborated the positive sentiment and the campaign was covered in major publications.

Note: The Diwali campaign ran pre-COVID where excessive use of electronic devices was an impediment in spending quality family time, unlike in the post- COVID era where they are a way to bridge social distancing.

Background

As India’s largest electronics retail chain, Diwali accounts for the maximum season sales for Reliance Digital. Yet, for the festive season of 2019, from a brand perspective, Reliance Digital wanted to eschew any commercial/sales agenda.

The objective, simply put, was to create a Diwali campaign with a relatable social message that would enhance the feeling of togetherness and the importance of family ties. In essence, drive engagement in the short term and help towards building long term affinity for the brand.

Audience

Centennials and millennials, tech-savvy, digital natives who like to stay connected to their devices.

The Challenge

Easy, instant and unbridled access to entertainment and information can have its own pitfalls. From gaming to binge-watching to chatting, this compelling need to get a dopamine fix or simply doom-scrolling on social media is a rabbit hole that sucks people in. While they get cocooned in it, it serves to inadvertently alienate and create a sense of isolation for their loved ones who long for real-world interaction with them.

Insight & Strategy

We were targeting people who lead a very connected life where they see and feel like these devices are an extension of themselves. However, these virtual connections are precisely that- virtual. From this sprung our insight – Sometimes you need to take a break from the digital world to make real connections with loved ones. Diwali was, therefore, an opportunity for Reliance Digital to get people to revisit their behaviour and set aside their devices to forge real-world connections.

The Idea

“This Diwali its time to make #MyAsliConnection”. With Diwali festivities as the backdrop, this message took centre stage as we brought it to life through a thought-provoking film that showed the mirror to people as to how their addiction was disconnecting them from their loved ones. And how just a little bit of thoughtfulness, could flip the sense of alienation and isolation into a feeling of mutual celebration. Because beyond diyas, fairy lights, crackers or sweets, this is what true Diwali festivities are all about.

Execution

Visual Grammar

The film was a slice-of-life take exploring various dimensions of human relationships across age groups and backgrounds. With clear two halves – alienation followed by resolution. The first half was a seamless one take exposition where the camera traversed like a voyeur from one household to another and lingered just long enough to highlight the disenchantment. And in the latter part showcased how the feeling of realisation could pave the way for an “Asli Connection”.

Narrative

To ensure that the film did not become pedantic or preachy, we stitched the film in a poetic vein, which gently probed and nudged people to revisit their fixation with electronic devices.

Voice Casting

To do justice to the poetic narrative, we cast the voice of Vijay Raaz, acclaimed Bollywood actor whose earthy, textured yet soothing voice fit the bill. His measured cadence provided the right character and warmth and held the film together. as it explored the various facets of human relationships.

Supporting Activities

The campaign was supported by a social experiment where Reliance Digital Employees who were the busiest during Diwali were surprised by unexpected visits of their loved ones at the stores and their heartwarming reactions were captured on candid camera.

We also ran a series of quizzes as stories on Instagram which probed people on their usage time of electronic devices during Diwali, especially when their loved ones were around.