We start the build-up to the 2023 edition, with our annual Cannes Contenders series.
Campaign India aims to lead the charge from this region by showcasing all of India's entries to the festival through our 'Cannes Contenders' series.
This is based on the premise that Cannes jurors don’t get enough time to scrutinise and deliberate a piece of work they haven’t really come across before. This series is a way of acquainting them with the good work from India and South Asia before their judging stint.
Dentsu India has four such entries:
Mortein - Suraksha Ka Teeka
Mothers in India have held a strong belief in applying the Kaala Teeka (Black Dot) on their little ones. This belief finds its root in the almost 2400-year-old Mahabharata. Mothers believe that it protects children from all evils and ailments. But a modern evil, malaria, was threatening the lives of small children.
To help mothers keep their children safe, Mortein introduced Suraksha Ka Teeka by reformulating the traditional Teeka with Lemon Eucalyptus oil. Thus, creating a mosquito repellent in disguise. We ensured it looks and feels the same as the traditional Teeka and is safe for children. Its packaging was designed using Aipan Folk Art, as it itself is considered to ward-off the evil-eye.
We launched an experiential activity led by Maalish Ladies in Bareilly, as it alone accounted for 50% of cases in Uttar Pradesh. They demonstrated the use, educated families, and delivered the pack to mothers. A door-to-door campaign was rolled out through volunteers and health workers. They distributed packs to mothers at village squares and local markets with an actionable call to use and apply the Suraksha Ka Teeka on children.
Vedantu - The Everything Book
80% of the kids in rural India don’t have access to quality education. High-speed internet could fix this, but basic connectivity is an issue.
Vedantu, India's leading e-learning portal with an aim to democratise education partnered with Benlycos, India's leader in digital aggregator technology and created 'The Everything Book'.
It is a game-changing patented portable network signal aggregator, a cloud-based AI packet broadcaster and assembler service that groups multiple data blocks from weak 2G mobile networks and combines them to provide one strong 'hyperspot'. Since most rural areas in India have weak signals, it solves the problem of connectivity everywhere.
The book was designed to inspire kids and the cover was illustrated in the Rogan Art style. Colourful illustrations on the pages inside represent a fusion of traditional art forms with modern-day elements, showcasing success stories of real-life heroes. These were done in 8 traditional art forms - Awadhi, Madhubani, Chitrakathi, Kalamkari, Pichwai, Rajput, Sikkimese Thangka and Kerala Mural, by nine illustrators from across India. The infinite knowledge button acts as a gateway to everything.
The Everything Book demonstrates the power of innovation to solve real-world problems while creating a positive impact. It has enhanced their educational experience by connecting them with endless learning opportunities.
TVS - The Responsible Manhole
Open manholes in Indian coastal cities like Mumbai take a life every 12 hours. Despite severe flooding, Mumbaikars have no choice but to go to work. A 150-year-old drainage system, locals leaving manholes open to drain rainwater and manhole cover theft worsen the issue. Hidden under waterlogged streets, open manholes turn fatal for bikers and pedestrians. A low-cost, easily scalable 3D-printed device was developed to make Mumbai’s streets safer. Using the principle of buoyancy, the device rises up to 5 feet when a manhole cover is dislodged on a flooded street. LED lights and a loud buzzer alert passersby of the danger. A specially designed mobile app connected to the device alerts the municipality in real-time about the geo-location of the open manhole, so that they can take prompt action.
Vice Media - The Unfiltered History Tour
The Unfiltered History Tour is a secret tour of the British Museum’s stolen artefacts via AR and immersive podcasts. AR was re-engineered to scan and identify life-sized 3D artefacts in differing light conditions throughout the day, to showcase first-ever visual depictions of scenes of colonial crime, without the Museum’s knowledge.
When visitors scan the museum’s stolen artefacts, geo-located filters are activated. They hear native experts narrate the true histories of how they were stolen, as scenes of crime form a subversive, contextual overlay over the artefact using Augmented Reality.
While the Museum’s narrative portrayed the colonies as helpless in the face of British aggression; AR in smartphones was used for the first time ever, to tell history from the perspective of the colonies, as formidable foes who fought to save their cultural treasures. Global audiences not at the Museum could unfilter history through a podcast series on the Tour’s website.
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