Indiantelevision.com Team

(13 February 2007 9:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Social campaigns are getting media savvy even as they rope in ad agencies and media planners to disseminate crucial information.

Keeping in mind the social problems caused by HIV/AIDS, Breakthrough, a network of NGOs in India has launched a month long multimedia campaign 'Ye Kaisa Insaaf Hai' (Is this justice). The aim is to draw public attention to the social stigma and discrimination faced by wives and widows of HIV positive men.

The multimedia campaign has been developed pro bono by Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman Piyush Pandey and O&M senior creative director Emmanuel Upputuru and includes TV and radio spots, print ads in four languages - Hindi, English, Kannada and Marathi - outdoor hoardings and standees.

The three TVCs dubbed in Hindi and English have been directed by Bauddhayan Mukherji of Black Magic Motion Picture Limited.

The campaigns dissemination partners include Doordarshan, Star, Sony and ETV (Hindi, Marathi, Kannada), NDTV, Dainik Jagran, Lokmat, Prajavani, Udyavani, Vijay Karnataka, Vijay Times, Radio Mirchi and All India Radio.

Breakthrough has also been helped pro bono by Mindshare in their media planning for this campaign.

Speaking on the occasion, Upputuru, emphasized the need for such a campaign. The statistics provided by Breakthrough state that almost 90 per cent of the women whose husbands have died of HIV related causes are discriminated against, even thrown out of their homes. The idea for the campaign took shape based on this statistic.

"The campaign wanted to bring to the fore the guilt faced by the women even though it is clearly not their fault. In each of the three cases, where the man is in the wrong it is the woman who gets slapped, is made to feel apologetic. In case this reeks of injustice the ad asks the people to think about the scores of women who have to pay for their spouses often fatal mistake."

Adds Network of Positive People, Aurangabad president Sunita Khattar, "The Breakthrough campaign raises the issue of HIV/AIDS from a woman's point of view while also calling for responsibility from her immediate family and community."

The campaign is targeted at three crucial areas - UP, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Khattar claims that the multimedia campaign is likely to reach over 31 million people throughout India and the success of the campaign would be in reaching out to as many people as possible.

Breakthrough makes use of innovative entertainment platforms to reach its audience. In 2000, the organisation launched a music album with Shubha Mudgal 'Mann Ke Manjeere through EMI, which addressed domestic violence. Last year it ran a campaign 'What kind of Man are you' created by McCann Ericsson that encourages dialogue and equality within marriage and advocates the use of contraceptives amongst married couples.