India at Cannes: BBDO India's entries

The agency has shared five entries for this year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity kicks off on 17 June 2024. Manifest's coverage for the festival continues with its 'India at Cannes' series. This series will showcase all of India's entries to this year's festival, speakers giving a sneak peek of their talks, and those attending the festival sharing expectations.

In this piece, we showcase BBDO India's entries for this year's festival. The agency has shared five entries.

Ariel India: Home Teams #ShareTheLoad (integrated)

57% of women decline work-related travel opportunities. Because they worry about their partner’s ability to manage the household chores in their absence. The mental load of household chores is holding women back.

The campaign was further complemented by the development of a tech solution, Home Map. It functions like a map for your home, showing men where things are kept, which reduces the constant calls to women while they are away.

But that was not all. Ariel also hijacked prime-time news. The news anchor’s husband took over the news screen, reassuring her that he had the home covered, surprising both the anchor and millions of viewers.

Ariel India: Home Teams #ShareTheLoad (film)

In its 7th edition, Ariel's #ShareTheLoad campaign asks: How strong is your home team? This year, the campaign tackles the mental load women shoulder in addition to physical housework. Can men become trusted allies, fostering a true partnership? Watch the film and see how sharing the load strengthens your home team! #ShareTheLoad

Ariel: Times News Hijack

In India, many women decline work-related travel opportunities, because they worry about their partners’ ability to manage the household chores in their absence. Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad movement wanted to change mindsets, and persuade men to step up at home, to share the partner’s mental load. For one night, while millions across India were tuned in, Ariel hijacked Prime-Time News to surprise the news anchor with a heartwarming message from her husband – showing him taking care of the home, while she was at work. This News Hijack was part of a larger integrated movement HomeTeams #ShareTheLoad that grew the conversation around the mental load of household chores on women.

Ariel News Room

Ariel: Home Maps App

To reduce the mental load on women, Ariel, India’s leading detergent brand, developed a tech solution, Home Map. It’s like Maps for your home. With Home Map, men can find things at home without the constant calls to their wives. Putting an end to weaponised incompetence! Ariel’s ‘Home Map’ tells men where everything is kept at home. Home Map was part of a larger integrated movement HomeTeams #ShareTheLoad, that grew the conversation around the mental load of household chores on women. The combined impact of the HomeTeams movement was seen on the brand and society.

home app

Create Foundation: The ‘103 Rakhee’ for women’s safety

103, a women’s safety helpline was launched by the Mumbai Police. Despite announcing the helpline across mainstream media, very few women knew about it. 88% of women in Mumbai said they had no idea about 103.

In India, culture reaches where mainstream media can’t. So, BBDO turned to culture – to Raksha Bandhan – a traditional Indian festival, wherein the agency took the Rakhi and turned it into a medium to spotlight the helpline. ‘The 103 RAKHI’ was launched with a guerrilla act.

At a women’s safety event, a well-known activist surprised the Mumbai Commissioner of Police with this specially designed 103 rakhi to raise awareness about the helpline. This captured the attention of the press and women present at the event. The commissioner of police shared this special moment on his widely popular Instagram page. This created news and celebrities grew the movement. 103 rakhis were available at stores, where it captured the attention of women shopping for rakhis. The 103 Rakhi took up further traditional media couldn’t and awareness about the helpline spread wider.

In a city of 8.5 million women, awareness about the helpline grew and reached people – ‘Women Safety Helpline 103 Help will be there in 10 minutes.’

103 rakhi