HUL urges young India to vote, to shape nation’s future

HUL has launched a campaign to encourage people to vote in the upcoming general elections. The campaign, one of several endorsed by the Election Commission of India ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, has been on air since 2 April 2014.

The film is based on the winning case study of this year’s edition of an annual B-School competition ‘Lessons in Marketing Excellence’. The competition is conducted by HUL and CNBC TV18.

The film targeting urban first-time-voters is set in a Consulate of the United States of America in India. It features a lady interviewing a visa applicant, a young male student. The interviewer discovers that he is headed to Boston University, on 12 April. She reminds him that the day he is travelling is also voting day in India. She is irked by his ignorance, and subsequent response that ‘one vote will not make a difference’. She delivers this message: “If you cannot make a difference to your country, what difference will you make to another? Why should they have you?” He’s asked to return after 12 April. A voice over urges India to vote, to shape the country’s future.

Hemant Bakshi, executive director, home and personal care, HUL, said, “We have always carried out our operations with a belief that what is good for India is good for HUL and see this campaign as an opportunity to engage young Indians for creating a better future.”

Anil Uniyal, CEO,  CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and Forbes India, said, “If this is an election where youth will play a larger role than they have played in any election in the nation’s history, then it is fitting that the seeds of this idea were sown by the youth of IIM Bangalore in their capacity as winners of the CNBCTV18 and HUL 's Lessons in Marketing Excellence (LIME) case study competition. This campaign has been developed based on the brief given by the winning team.”

Organisers got Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey and Lowe’s R Balki to work on the film.

Credits

Client: HUL
Concept: Team IIM Bangalore
Creative directors: Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy & Mather; R Balki, Lowe Lintas and Partners