"Here the objective is behaviour change" Sagar Kapoor on new Astral Pipes' campaign

The campaign, #EveryWomansRight has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas.

In November 2016, on the occasion of World Toilet Day, Dentsu One had come up with a digital campaign, Project Hers - Kushboo. The campaign focused on a real life story from Jharkhand and rural parts of India where a lot of houses are without a toilet due to which millions of women have to undergo the psychological trauma of having to defecate in the open.

But has there been any progress at all in solving this issue? To address the same issue, Astral Pipes has come up with a new digital campaign, #EveryWomansRight. The ad has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and produced by Absolute Films. The campaign shows that it's time for women to take revenge for the casual attitude shown by male members inspite of Government of India funding the construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

While one makes an ad for a brand, the objective is to sell. We asked Sagar Kapoor, executive director - creative, Lowe Lintas, how did the agency's thinking change while executing this film since this was to educate the people. He says, "Here the objective is behaviour change. So the tone of voice becomes key. Once the pitch is set, it is only about how memorable and arresting can one make the film."

Talking about the challenges, Kapoor says, "Any film eventually has the same set of challenges. So, you walk on to the set seeing the film in your head. Then the shoot begins and you know there is a lot that will go into achieving the film that you saw in your head. That said, a trusted filmmaker is key, as he or she ends up realising your vision, hopefully giving you a better film than what you saw in your head."

We asked our digital expert that despite brands addressing the issues faced by women in the rural areas through digital films, do they actually reach the right target audience?

Siddhi Desai, associate creative director, DigitasLBi, says, "The dramatisation of this issue stirred something in me, making me want to get off my seat and do something for those women. So, 'the correct target audience', I feel is a debatable topic. In this ad specifically, I believe, this is an Astral Pipes' CSR initiative that they want people to know about."

She adds, "I think ads like these play an important role in sparking a conversation and sensitising the nation by reminding them of a truth which a part of India lives with, while the rest of us are busy looking for some privacy to send texts. Though this might not reach the typical male chauvinist, bread winner of the underprivileged family living in a remote village, it definitely will awaken people who have the means to help out and make a difference. So, to be honest I feel there isn't a specific target audience. It's a ripple effect. Some need to be sensitised, some need to be reminded and some made aware."

Adding on the execution, Desai says, "I really like the surreal, theatrical treatment of the ad and would like to see more of such storytelling in ads. I think it commands your attention, raising the expectations of the storyline, which it definitely delivers in the end. What I also like are the subtle nuances in the ad that hit you only when you re-watch it. It's not just a chance to make a great ad but the chance to put out a message that will help improve the lives of people. So I hope this is not an execution appreciated only by the creative industry but also by the public in general."

According to Desai, the final scroll of the ad was her gooseflesh moment. She says, "While the initial part did keep me intrigued, the language was a little difficult to comprehend. Even though I am fluent in Hindi, I had to keep glancing at the English subtitles to understand the message. So maybe if the language was a little simpler - without losing its small town flavour, and the final edit was a bit shorter it would have more mass appeal."

Credits:

Client: Astral

Team: Sandeep Engineer, Kairav Engineer, Yogen Parikh, Fenil Mevada

Agency: Lowe Lintas, Ahmedabad

Account Management: Raj Gupta, Shantanu Sapre, Uttam Solanki, Jay SK

Creative: Arun Iyer, Sagar Kapoor, Abhishek Dey, Amit Hoiyani

Production House: Absolute Films

Director: Chandan Arora