#ReclaimYourPrivacy

Case Study

Summary

Data might be the new oil, but it is our personal data that leaks the most. Just on Facebook and Instagram alone, an average Indian spends over 1000 hours a year, without realising how much she is giving away to elements with vested interests- not just on social media, but at just about every digital touchpoint. If you’ve ever been followed around the internet by an ad, it’s probably because of the black box of data sharing that enables such seamless tracking of our digital habits. From brands to platforms to fraudsters to trolls and bullies, everyone profits at our expense. When personal data gets sold for less than one rupee, it’s a reality check on how much our privacy is worth, even though we think it’s invaluable. In essence we are the sum of our data with little control on how our data is used.

To counter this, #ReclaimYourPrivacy was launched – the largest independent campaign on individual privacy in India. It was an initiative to empower people in making active and informed choices about sharing their data. The campaign was brought to life with the support of Omidyar Network India- an impact investment body.

The extensive digital 360 campaign focused on creating a measurable impact. When a post -campaign survey had as many as 40% of the 41000 respondents (of the survey alone) changing their privacy settings, we knew the process of change had well and truly begun. It continues.

Objective

• #ReclaimYourPrivacy aimed first and foremost at making the audience aware that privacy is at risk and that its harms are real and affect us in very relevant ways in our daily lives
• Provoking people into taking action – starting with protecting themselves and then joining the conversation to spread awareness & action
• Influencing Civil Society to discuss the problem at large

Target Audience

We identified 3 main personas:

The Over Sharers: Young netizens that are social media addicts and share a lot of their personal lives on social media. Born into the digital medium, they do not believe that there is anything wrong with plastering their lives online

The Half Baked Beans: Savvy users of digital media who are more than comfortable with the medium, it’s platforms as well as the technology that is rapidly evolving. However they only partially understand the underlying technology and systems and are actually oblivious to its harms.

The ‘Forward’ Thinkers: Typically the Digital migrants or the older lot that find their social currency in forwarding news, fake or otherwise. They typically forward a piece of information before stopping to think about whether it’s true or harmful.

Execution

Website

Films

Social Media

KOLs & Influencer Collabs

Results

The most important metric for the campaign was to measure whether the communication & collaborations had any impact on people’s behaviour. This was measured through a survey (a total of 41k responses) at the end of the campaign with the following overall results:

• 43% of our communicated to audience changed their privacy settings after engaging with us – a big win, as every single step contributes towards a societal shift in our attitude towards privacy
• 50% of the people who came to any of our owned properties shared something with friends and family – clearly indicating that our content was thought provoking and valuable to our audience
• 46% people recommended following us, to a friend
• The campaign reached 65mn people
• The influencer collaborations averaged over 76% ER when calculated on reach, almost 3x the industry average
• With over 7mn views, the digital films had an average VTR of 18%+
• The teaser phase – Did you know content – achieved over 35% ER, higher than industry benchmarks
• Civil Society leaders such as Rakshit Tandon (Cyber Expert & Consultant to IAMAI), Tannistha Datta (India Head- UNICEF), Swati Lakra (DGP), among others, who actively influence policy on the issues of privacy, data and tech appreciated and shared the campaign.