Pick of the Week: The Mumbai local that forgot its next station

In a rush hour Mumbai local train, it’s impossible for commuters to look outside and see the next station, when you are stuck inside the compartment. As a result, the ears of commuters are tuned to pick the announcement about the next station.

 

In a recent case, in the western railway’s suburban Mumbai local, the announcer forgot the next station’s name. Instead, the lady announcer took the name of a station that doesn’t even exist. 

 

Recently, millions of commuters on the western line heard these forgetful announcements in English, Hindi and Marathi. Not a software glitch or an employee’s fault, these were part of a disruptive campaign by a healthcare service provider to draw attention to mental health. 

 

HealthCare atHOME (HCAH), promoted by the Burman family that owns Dabur, decided to utilise its Mumbai launch campaign towards spreading awareness about Alzheimer’s. But their goal wasn’t about releasing a conventional social-ad campaign, they wanted to reach out to the city in a disruptive, attention- grabbing manner, and make a difference in people’s thinking. 

 

With an estimated eight million daily passengers, the Mumbai local trains became the perfect vehicle for this campaign. Their forgetful announcements not only captured people’s attention and imagination, but also made them aware that regular forgetfulness shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

 

Vivek Srivastava, co-founder and CEO, HCAH said, “We will be able to ease a lot of pressure off bustling hospitals and work together with them to provide quality, affordable services to patients who need them the most. The Alzheimer’s Local is a disruptive campaign that is memorable and consequential at the same time. With so many people taking the Mumbai local every single day, it will provide an optimum channel for our brand to make the all-important initial impact.” 

 

The campaign was conceptualised by McCann Health.