Experts give full marks to P&G Shiksha’s 75-year-old student, Bittu

The recent P&G Shiksha Campaign introduces us to Bittu whose desire to educate himself hasn't faded even if he's waited for 75 long years.

The first quarter of 2019 is witness to the ad world weaving heart-warming narratives in the form of campaigns and spelling stories that are bound to stay with us. One of them is P&G Shiksha’s recent ad video which shows 75-year old Bittu fulfilling his dream of attending school and being a student.

About the film

Filled with innocence, realism and a powerful narrative- Bittu’s tale is worth lending our ear to and reflects the dream of children across the country who wish to attend school and receive quality education, but are denied this basic right.

The two-minute long film is
inspired by a true story and highlights Bittu’s life at school. Having grown up
in a village without schools, he had to wait until the age of 75 to attend one.

The campaign #DontLetDreamsWait has been conceptualised and created by Leo Burnett and is doing the rounds of all social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Campaign Insight

Education
is the foundation of an individual’s development and the society at large. The
film highlights the simple joy of learning and attending a school that no child
should miss. “We hope the film builds an emotional connect with the audience
and inspires them to do their bit towards Shiksha,” commented Abhishek Desai, Director
– Marketing Operations, P&G India.

The Creative Thoughtprocess

Going to school is a dream that children have. Not just the learnings but the fun stay with us all our lives. "However, unfortunately, this dream is not realized for everyone. The new campaign is inspired by a true story and we have humanized the campaign by capturing the hopes and aspirations of ‘Bittu’ and how he is living his dream of attending school at the age of 75," Rajdeepak Das, MD India, and Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia shared that with this emotional and thought-provoking story, the team hopes this campaign strikes a chord with everyone.

P&G Shiksha claims to have been working towards improving access to quality education for underprivileged children since 2005. Till date, P&G Shiksha has built and supported more than 1800 schools which will impact the lives of more than 1.4 million children.

Taking
‘Shiksha’ beyond the campaign

Touted to be a brand with a
soul, P&G Shiksha is working extensively towards improving the
education infrastructure by providing necessary amenities from building classrooms
to building toilets, providing clean drinking water to setting up drinking
water stations and playgrounds across India. It is also working towards
empowering marginalised girls through education by supporting the KGBV schools
and improving learning outcomes in children through remedial learning and early
childhood programs.

From ‘">Padhega India, Badhega India’ to ‘">I Want To Be’ to ‘">#ChooseForChange’ to ‘">#DontLetDreamsWait’, P&G Shiksha’s campaigns have been melting hearts with the right storytelling conveyed to the right audience at the right time. The campaign has raked in 36 million views on YouTube and has also caught the attention of celebrities like Farhan Akhtar and Sonakshi Sinha who took to Twitter to cast a few words of appraisement for the video.

Also Read: P&G Shiksha introduces the world to Appu – the boy who wants to go to school

Instagram was flooded too with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Soha Ali Khan, Ravi Dubey, Arjun Kapoor posting the video and penning down their thoughts on how the video has not only touched their hearts but has inspired them to keep the child in them alive.

In an era when causevertising is the new trend, P&G manages to not only create a tearjerker but put their money where their mouth is, initiating a change in the real world - thus taking up causevertising in the true sense.

Experts Take:

N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research

P&G has had a very involved and active CSR program from a long time before CSR was mandated by law. While many companies still struggle to find the right cause to support or find the right agencies to execute their CSR, theP&G's CSR shows maturity.

This is a well-executed ad that uses positive reinforcement to show the impact their CSR program brings to people directly and touches the heart. It is our belief that every CSR must also give back to the brand so that more CSR is possible, and in this case, it leaves a great positive flavour of the P&G brands.

Akshay Samel – Head of Branding and Communications, The Minimalist

In the times when communication is increasingly shifting from advertising to 'cause-vertising', few brands are cracking the code in a prudent way. P&G, a brand perceived so global, modern and contemporary is striking a right chord by addressing the challenges at the grassroots level. I think the impact P&G has on society has been beautifully captured when the freckled old, young Bittu stands in the middle of the class and proudly says 'Aaj mein bhi student bana'. Speaking of creative execution, a real story has been narrated in a very real way. The music too conveys a story. Bittu is not a name that can be associated with a 75-year-old character but the story beautifully brings alive an adorable Bittu.