3 Republic Day-themed campaigns that caught our attention...

Bajaj Avenger and Vodafone released ad films; Craftsvilla created a culture-rich digital poster.

Like individuals, 26th January has a different meaning for different brands. For some, it is just another holiday, which can be cashed-in on with a 'mega sale'. And then, there are others that do not go the 'crass commercialisation' way. While it's true that the latter also, at the very least, expect visibility for their brand, what scores them brownie points is that they chose to deliver their message in a subtler and thoughtful manner.

Three such campaigns, each done by Bajaj Avenger, Vodafone and Craftsvilla caught our attention this Republic Day...

When you think of topical campaigns, the brand that comes to mind is Amul. But off late, it seems like Bajaj's cruiser bike, Avenger is trying to own that space in the videos segment. Of course, unlike Amul, it can't track each and every development through a video film, but the brand makes sure to mark most important events and occasions such as 'Social Media Day', 'World Brotherhood Day' or 'Demonetisation', with a topical campaign. This time, it's a Republic Day-themed ad.

As a brand that stands for liberation, Bajaj Avenger chose to highlight the country's nature, outdoors and wildlife in a new campaign, Nature's Parade.

The close to 90-second film begins with the text, "In this great republic, there are many parades happening," flashing on the screen. It is 26th January, and two guys are out exploring the unknown on their Avengers. The expedition, that leads them to the wonders of wildlife - avian, terrestrial, and aquatic - is juxtaposed with the Republic Day parade commentary. The idea behind the execution is to depict how the country's wildlife is as awe-inspiring as the annual spectacle at Rajpath.

The objective of this campaign, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, is to urge people to explore the great Republic of India. Crazy Few Films has produced the ad. The national song, Vande Mataram, plays in the background.

Also in the fray was telecom brand Vodafone, which made use of the opportunity to recognise the contribution of Indian farmers with a four-minute-long musical video, #SaluteOurFarmers - A tribute to the heroes of the soil.

The campaign, created by Geometry & Ogilvy, is a collaboration between five popular folk artistes - Padmashri Prahlad Tipaniya (MP), Mooralala Marwada (Gujarat), Mohini Devi (Rajasthan), Balwinder Mast (Punjab) and Hayat Kahan (Rajasthan).

Composed by Maati Bani and written by Manoj Yadav, #SaluteOurFarmers is an anthem for farmers. It is a musical journey, which expresses the honesty and simplicity of our roots, and the ever so hard-working farmers. It explores dialects and musical flavours from different states such as Bhangra from Punjab and Ghoomar from Rajasthan.

The video was shot over 12 days in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The team travelled to remote villages; meeting farmers and recording the sounds of their daily lives. It features real farmers doing their daily chores.

The video is an initiative by Vodafone's Kisan Mitr service, through which the brand claims that it has been engaging and enabling more than 15 lakh farmers in the past year.

Yet another interesting initiative was led by online ethnic store Craftsvilla. With an objective to take people back to their roots, the brand organised a Fabric Tour of India on social media.

Craftsvilla came up with a map of India highlighting famous hand-woven textiles from each region. There were also individual slides with a brief introduction to each of these crafts.

Apart from popular weaves such as Banarasi, Kanjeevaram and Chanderi, the map also featured lesser-known textiles such as Phanek (Manipur), Pachra (Tripura), Apatani (Arunachal Pradesh), Kunbi (Goa), Kullu Shawls (Himachal Pradesh), and Kuchai Silk (Jharkhand), on India's textile map.