Idea urges people to use social media responsibly with #MeriRealLife

Addressing the growing phenomenon of the need for validation on social media, Brand Idea has launched a campaign titled #MeriRealLife, encouraging people to drop the pressure of chasing and sharing perfection on social media, and instead, share real, unfiltered stories using Idea 4G.

The campaign has gone live today with the first two videos breaking on the live matches of Asia Cup Cricket Tournament.

There are over 400 million internet users in India and over 50% are active social media users. Rapid proliferation of 4G has enabled better internet speeds, resulting into Indians now spending almost 28 hours a week on mobile phones. This mammoth increase in consumption of 4G data has been fuelled largely by people sharing and consuming videos and photos on social media.

On an average, people spend anywhere between 2-4 hours/day on social media platforms. With such high engagement, social media is bound to have a huge impact on the lives of people. The new Brand Idea campaign is designed to propagate ‘Responsible Use of Social Media’ with the tagline ‘Perfect ka pressure hatao, Idea 4G ke saath apni real life dikhao’.

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Elaborating on the campaign thought, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “People are constantly, looking for validation on social media for their behaviour - be it what they are eating or wearing or places they are visiting. The growing phenomenon of ‘living to share on social media’, and not the other way around, is driving people towards a dual life –a ‘social life’ and their ‘real life’.

“Through #MeriRealLife, Idea wants to power an alternate wave of thinking that encourages people to share real, unfiltered stories and drop the pressure of chasing and sharing perfection on social media. ‘MeriReallife’ is more than just a campaign; it is an idea, a contrarian way of thinking that India needs for positive social transformation”, added Sashi Shankar.

#MeriRealLife campaign is developed basis research inputs from mental health professionals from MPOWER, an organization that aims to end stigma and encourage dialogue around mental health. Insights from research by MPOWER suggest that the constant need for validation leads to a loss of self-worth, a feeling of being ‘not good enough’ resulting in anxiety and related issues, especially amongst the youth actively engaged on social media.

Staying with Brand Idea’s belief in purpose led advertising, this campaign elevates the role of Idea 4G beyond the category conversation to something that reflects its transformative role in people’s lives and society.

The Idea ads show people talking about a fancy new car, the perfect look and relationship goals on their social media, while in their real lives they are questioning their own shallow behaviour. The videos end with the characters having their moment of reckoning, where they encourage the world to share their real photos and videos with #MeriRealLife.

The campaign have been directed by Shimit Amin, the director of critically acclaimed blockbusters such as Chak De, Rocket Singh – Salesman of the year, Ab Tak Chappan. The new campaign has been developed by BBDO India.

The campaign will be promoted on TV, Radio and Digital through high decibel visibility across 100+ TV Channels and strategic integrations in shows/programs such as Film Companion by Anupama Chopra on Digital, and popular radio shows ‘Heart to Heart with Meera’ and ‘Calling Karan’ on Ishq/Love 104.8 etc.