Pyaar ek Dhoka Hai - Perhaps the biggest Valentine's Day campaign of 2018

The first image of ‘Shouting Pyaar ek Dhoka Hai On Valentine’s Day’ event on Facebook, hosted by All India Bakchod, seemed to be that of a joke. A funny page probably created by one of the AIB members, to engage with the single souls through one of their shenanigans.

Sure, the event post today said “show begins at 7 PM”, but the anticipation of Pyaar ek Dhoka Hai turning into a full blown event with live performers right from its initiation, was definitely amiss. From merchandise to big ticket performers including Kaneez Surka and Zakir Khan, Pyaar ek Dhoka Hai is now a phenomenon with brands leveraging it. Or is it the other way round?

It all began when AIB created the aforementioned event around February 01 and users, mind you not just single users, began to RSVP for it on Facebook. Friends were being tagged, memes were being shared, support from various cities started pouring in – once again, AIB had managed to stir a storm.

AIB soon started cross promoting the event page’s content on their official Facebook, enhancing their reach one post at a time.

There was also supporting content on AIB which spoke about the clichés of Valentine’s Day and the pains of being single on this particular day.

Next in their plan was releasing a Facebook Profile Picture Frame, which has Pyaar Ek Dhoka Hai written in Hindi on a saffron patch which also has the universal sign of the friend zone.

Brands to jumped the wave created by AIB with creatives and offers.

Pyaar ek Dhoka ho sakta hai, par Ola Prime Play Par entertainment nahi. Mumbaikars, head to @AllIndiaBakchod #PyaarEkDhokaHai https://t.co/KdFGpazmQu tomorrow, and use code PYAARDHOKA to get Flat Rs.50 Off on your two PrimePlay rides.

— Ola (@Olacabs) February 13, 2018

And it wasn’t long before the Pyaar Ek Dhoka Hai movement went global! While one event took place in Kyrgyzstan, there was also a user posing with a Pyaar Ek Dhoka Hai notice in front of the Hollywood sign.

AIB then announced their performers for the evening, which included prominent names such as Ritviz, Zakir Khan, Kenny Sebastian, and more.

There was also a tie up with Terribly Tiny Tales, where a writer shared a message on how being single isn’t actually a curse.

Further AIB introduced a limited edition of Pyaar ek Dhoka Hai t-shirts on The Souled Store which were selling at as high as INR 999.

What started off as a replica of shouting ‘Bolo na aunty aau kya’ events soon turned into a social media movement that is now synonymous with Valentine’s Day. According to Tanmay Bhat, the campaign has managed to garner over 100 million impressions as of 13th Feb 2018

AIB distribution network clocked nearly 100 million impressions in the last 4 days. Insanity.

— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) February 13, 2018

It is interesting to see how AIB created a sincere event without charging any money, creating a brand IP that boasts of loyal users laced with strong brand recall.

Also Read: Brands celebrate togetherness with Valentines Day campaigns 2018