Clickbait’s worst enemy just got a signal boost

In 2024 telco giant Airtel claimed that it had become India’s first spam fighting network. Leveraging both, the scale of its network and the power of AI, the company started screening spam calls and texts in real time, analysing over 250 parameters to identify these nuisances and sending consumers an Airtel Warning whenever they received such calls or messages. 

But the battle against what is arguably the biggest cyber-menace facing people today was far from won. Scams are rampant, ever-evolving and claiming new victims every day.

Being a brand that has its ears to the ground, Airtel realised through numerous customer interactions that the problem wasn’t restricted to calls and texts alone. Links emerged as a serious cause for concern, because they are omnipresent on the internet and often the first step to getting scammed.

Partnering with indie agency Fundamental, the telecom company has responded with a solution to this wide-spread issue. Enter ‘The Safe Network’.

Using AI, Airtel will now be able to recognise and block malicious links. Which means that even if unsuspecting people are now pressurised or duped into clicking on them, fraudulent links just won’t open.

The objective is to come down hard on financial fraud and minimise it to the extent possible, by rendering such links ‘unclickable’. Airtel will be able to identify suspicious links regardless of which platform they are served to consumers on—chat apps, social media, search engines, email—links on any or all of these channels will be flagged by the system and blocked. And once again, this service is available to every Airtel customer without the hassle of a separate app download or additional fees. 

The brand has gone live with its latest campaign to announce the launch of this service. The spots have been directed by Ram Madhvani of Equinox Films. 

Speaking about working with Airtel towards this solution, Pallavi Chakravarti, founder and chief creative officer at Fundamental said, “Many brands claim to be built on the pillars of customer centricity and innovation. Airtel walks the talk. ‘The Safe Network’ is a clear signal that customer security is above all else and the brand will continue to take measures to fight scam and spam in the years to come. Most consumers are plagued with the worry that despite being vigilant they may slip up and click on something malicious—what happens then? With the simple but reassuring ‘Kuch nahi hoga (Nothing will happen)’ we’re sending out an emphatic message: Airtel has your back.”

Campaign’s take: When every buzz on your phone feels like a potential digital landmine, Airtel’s latest campaign arrives with the calm assurance of a cyber bodyguard. Created by indie agency Fundamental, the brand’s two new spots spotlight everyday nightmare scenarios—texts that claim your bank KYC is expiring or that customs have flagged your Aadhar over a mystery package. Familiar? Uncomfortably so.

But this isn’t just another awareness drive. Underneath the reassuring ‘Kuch nahi hoga’ lies a technical punch: Airtel’s AI-powered ‘Safe Network’ now blocks malicious links at the source—before your thumb does something your brain regrets. Scam texts may scream urgency, but with Airtel’s backend scanning links across chat apps, search results, email, and social feeds, it’s aiming to make fraudsters hit a dead end—literally.

It’s also a wake-up call for brands: don’t just romanticise vigilance, operationalise it. With over 250 parameters in play, this isn’t theatre—it’s infrastructure. And crucially, there’s no app to download or payment wall in sight.

In a digital landscape where trust is thin and attention spans thinner, Airtel’s move doesn’t just talk cyber hygiene—it embeds it. The message to marketers? Reassurance sells—but only if it’s backed by a firewall.