#BehindTheScenes - The making of Flipkart's General Election campaign, Equals Day

Social Samosa converses with the minds behind the Flipkart General Election campaign titled, Equals Day - understanding how the campaign enhances the brand's objective from digital marketing.

The one and a half minute film showcases people belonging to different religion and regions of India coming together to cast their vote - one at a time.

Insight behind ‘Equals Day’

‘Whoever you are, whatever you do, and however different your political beliefs are, the vote counts us as equals.’ The e-commerce giant is cross-promoting the campaign across every mass channel with hashtags. #EqualsDay #WeAreEqual #NayeIndiaKeSaath

As a homegrown company, Flipkart wanted to run a campaign around the elections, an occasion when every five years Indians come together to make their voices heard. “This is the world’s largest democratic event, so as a brand with progressive ideas at our core, we knew we wanted to engage with the country on this topic. We live in such a diverse and dynamic country, and the vote is a great unifier for us all,” shared Apuarv Sethi, Director of Brand Marketing, Flipkart.

At the same time, there tends to be a lot of brand activity around elections, so Flipkart was looking for a unique take to cut through and showcase the brand values. That’s when it settled on celebrating the equality brought about by Universal Adult Franchise (one person, one vote) and how it truly makes everyone equal at the ballot box.

‘Equality within Democracy’

The very basis of democracy is equality, and that is most clearly showcased in our right to vote. Considering the fact that India was one of the first nations to implement Universal Adult Franchise when we became independent, compared to other countries that rolled out the right to vote in a phased manner, that’s a powerful slice of history that could help people see how voting is a great equaliser. Flipkart realised this was the way we could make our message of equality and democracy heard in a cluttered election space. The #EqualsDay symbol is simple, effective and truly powerful in communicating that the ballot box sees us one.

The key differentiator for ‘Equals Day’

A lot has been done until now to make people aware of their right to vote, the power it has to bring forward the change. Sethi claimed that Flipkart’s approach is fresh to tell voters the idea of equality through voting, the one visualized by India as a republic. Rather than focusing on the popular message appealing people to go and vote, the brand decided to take a fresh perspective, to change the way people look at and value their vote. He added, “Our campaign is different because it’s not focused on only urging people to vote, but rather on the idea of equality and how the very concept of one person, one vote plays into that. We wanted everyone in India to realize how we are all truly equal at the ballot box because we all have the ability to make our voices heard through our vote.”

Flipkart wants the #EqualsDay symbol to travel and ignite the spirit of equality and democracy.

The brief

The brief was to come up with fresh, clutter-breaking communication that could champion the progressive ethos of our brand. The brand wanted to find a unique way to bring the spirit of equality alive and re-imagine the way we show we have cast our vote. The simple equal sign made with two people’s fingers was an interesting way to get people to participate & create a new symbolism associated with voting.

Creative Thoughtprocess

From India’s very first election, back in 1950, the right to vote was given to every adult, regardless of caste, color, religion or gender – known as the Universal Adult Franchise (UAF). Commenting on what went behind creating the campaign, P.G Aditya, Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Webchutney commented, "When we remember the vote counts because it counts all of us as one.. we realize it’s not just the means to an end... but an end in itself. A day where we're all equal, stripped off our differences. As one vote and one vote only.”

The brand film captures the diversity of India and brings the symbolism and philosophy of Equals’ Day alive. Across the film, there are moments that pay homage to the history of the Indian Constitution and eagled-eyed viewers can uncover new Easter eggs with every watch.

Also Read: Samsonite’s #EkDinKiChutti gets a thumbs up from experts

The Voters’ Response

Sethi exclaimed that the key message has resonated with Indian voters. More than just good traction on digital platforms, Indians seem to be embracing the thought and concept behind our video, which is what we were looking for in terms of success for this campaign. “It was a point of pride for us that the Election Commission validated our thought process when they retweeted our video. Our message of a vibrant, equal democracy for India has been a popular one,” he added.

#EqualsDay- The Digital-only urge

As a digital-first and tech-driven company, Flipkart claims to have focused primarily on only digital platforms to share the video. This includes social media as well as content-driven websites, where people actively seek out and engage with election-related content. The company has found that it’s progressive message and brand ethos strongly resonates with internet users and so have chosen that route to amplify our campaign.

There is a lot of user-generated content and influencer marketing activity seen on social media where the 'aam aadmi' is seen boasting of their votes with equal pride on #EqualsDay

While Flipkart battles it out against inequality on various level and shows the world that how a nation becomes equal to vote for a progressive tomorrow, it remains to be seen how much of an impact it makes on ground in the country where inequality prevails and how.