Idea urges people to be real and responsible on social media

Telecom service provider Vodafone Idea has launched a campaign titled #MeriRealLife for Idea, encouraging people to drop the pressure of chasing and sharing perfection on social media, and instead, share real, unfiltered stories using Idea 4G.

Conceptualised by BBDO India and directed by Shimit Amin, the campaign is developed on the basis of research inputs from mental health professionals from MPower, an organisation that aims to end stigma and encourage dialogue around mental health.

There are over 400 million internet users in India and over 50% are active social media users. Rapid proliferation of 4G has enabled better internet speed, resulting in Indians now spending almost 28 hours a week on mobile phones. On an average, people spend anywhere between two to four hours per day on social media platforms. With such high engagement, social media is bound to have a huge impact on the lives of people. The new brand Idea campaign is designed to propagate ‘Responsible use of social media’ with the tagline ‘Perfect ka pressure hatao, Idea 4G ke saath apni real life dikhao’.

The ads show people talking about a fancy new car, the perfect look and relationship goals on their social media, while in their real lives they are questioning their own shallow behaviour. The videos end with the characters having their moment of reckoning, where they encourage the world to share their real photos and videos with #MeriRealLife.

Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Idea, said, “People are constantly looking for validation on social media for their behaviour — be it what they are eating or wearing or places they are visiting. The growing phenomenon of ‘living to share on social media’, and not the other way around, is driving people towards a dual life — a ‘social life’ and their ‘real life’.”

“Through #MeriRealLife, Idea wants to power an alternative wave of thinking that encourages people to share real, unfiltered stories and drop the pressure of chasing and sharing perfection on social media. ‘MeriReallife’ is more than just a campaign; it is an idea, a contrarian way of thinking that India needs for positive social transformation,” added Shankar. 

Josy Paul

Josy Paul, Chief Creative Officer and Chairman, BBDO India, said, “Our idea is founded on a new-world conflict that needed urgent attention. It’s the pressure that social media and the constant need for external validation are putting on people. It’s the elephant in the room, the hidden truth. All we did was create a platform to counter this growing pressure. To create a world that’s more real. #MeriRealLife. It’s simple, empowering and transformative. It’s something that is aligned to Brand Idea’s way of looking at the world.”

The campaign will be promoted on TV, radio and digital through high decibel visibility across 100+ TV channels and strategic integrations in shows/programmes such as Film Companion by Anupama Chopra on digital, and radio shows like ‘Heart to Heart with Meera’ and ‘Calling Karan’ on Ishq/Love 104.8 etc.

The campaign:

Selfie:

Single:

Credits:

Client: Vodafone Idea

Creative agency: BBDO India

Creative Head: Josy Paul, Hemant Shringy

Production House: Red Ice Productions

Director of the film: Shimit Amin

Info@BestMediaInfo.com