Unacademy uses Sachin Tendulkar's setbacks to impart ‘Failure, the fuel of champions’ lesson

Unacademy has released a film titled ‘The Greatest Lesson,’ to mark its strategic association with Sachin Tendulkar. The cricketer was recently appointed brand ambassador and mentor for Unacademy.

 

The film has been conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and celebrates Tendulkar’s ‘never give up’ spirit. It shows the failures Tendulkar has faced during his long career, as it looks to drive a message that setbacks must be looked upon as stepping stones to success. After a montage of crowds from across the world cheering on Tendulkar, it cuts to his ODI debut in 1989, when he was dismissed on a duck on the second ball he faced.

 

From then on, the film depicts some of his most notable dismissals before stating the message, ‘failure, the fuel of champions.’ It then moves on to show his greatest moments from his career.

 

Unacademy has used footage from the BCCI, PCB, ECB, Cricket Australia and Sony Sports Network for the film. The film will be launched on digital, post which there will be shorter edits running on television.

 

Puneet Kapoor, regional creative officer, Lowe Lintas, said, “Failure is a part of life. We all are bound to go through it. Ideally with grace. Whether it be an amateur learner or the God of cricket. Yet the amount of judgment it garners from the society stigmatises it, instead of shining a light on the immense power of learning it unleashes. The sole purpose of this film is to give an apt high-pedestal and respect to failure, to inspire all learners.”

 

We caught up with Karan Shroff, chief marketing officer, Unacademy to learn more about the campaign, Tendulkar’s strategic role within the company, cricket as a medium for ed-tech players and more.

 

Excerpts:

 

What was the idea behind the campaign?

 

We have all seen the great career Tendulkar has had and seen him score all those runs for two and a half decades. What doesn’t meet the eye is the hardships, the grit, the focus and rigour, and the continuous endeavour to stay on top. That’s something we wanted to glorify in the film. We have seen him shine time and again and missed out on the hardships he has faced amid staying on top.

 

We want to tell students and learners that if ‘God’ (fans’ label for Sachin Tendulkar) could rise and fall again, you could pursue your dreams too. The motive behind the film is to inspire and motivate students, and telling them that failure is a part of life.

 

We see another ed-tech player, Byju's, associating with cricket too – does this make it less of a differentiator?

 

For us, it’s always about communicating to our learners and students. While everything academics is important, our name suggests it’s about democratising education too. We also want to motivate and inspire students and tell them there will be challenges on the way. It’s always about our students and the learning we can give them.

 

Through this campaign, we show them how failure helps one come back stronger to crack your dream.

 

What role does Tendulkar play with Unacademy?

 

He’s a strategic partner. While he is going to be our brand ambassador, we are developing a content-led platform with him. The reason for the partnership with him is that he’s a true testimony of being the absolute best. We want that to rub off on our students. He’ll also mentor our students through interactive live classes.

 

Your category benefited during the pandemic and the lockdowns. Has growth stagnated now?

 

No, even with things opening up, the growth is here to stay. I think ed-tech and e-learning were waiting to happen. The pandemic worked as a catalyst. The habit has been built and it’s here to stay as students love learning and we love teaching.

 

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