AWARDS & ACCOLADES
DAM Asia
Bronze in Interactive Social Media (Creativity)
2 awards under the categories ‘Effectiveness in Publication & Media’ and ‘Print Innovation’
HERMES
Platinum awards for Publicity Campaign, Advertising Campaign, Marketing Campaign and Integrated Marketing Campaign
INK Awards
Gold for Best Contextual Newspaper Advertising
Silver award for Best Innovation in Newspaper Advertising
Best Advertising Campaign
Campaign India Digital Crest
Silver for Digital Film
Silver for the initiative ‘Live No Negative’
MADDYS
Silver under the category ‘Integrated Media Campaign’
PRCI
Idea of the year
Our Role
Strategy
Development
Marketing
Marketing
Dainik Bhaskar is one of the leading Hindi Newspapers in India. In a media space cluttered with negative reportage and sensationalism, we enabled Dainik Bhaskar to create a dialogue for positivity and change through the LiveNoNegative campaign.
THE CHALLENGE
Dainik Bhaskar’s No Negative News edition was a product initiative to stop publishing negative news on mondays. The idea was to set the week to a positive start since negative news impacts life in a negative way. Given that people were fed up with negative news but were unaware and unable to understand its negative impact on their lives, it was challenging to elevate the No Negative message beyond a product and take it to people’s lives.
THE INSIGHT
Negativity hampers one’s thinking. With regular exposure to negative news reports in the media, we have set certain stereotypes in our minds. The moment such similar situations occur; our first thoughts and reactions are usually negative. Insecurities, fears and distrust take over empathy, generosity and warmth. Unfortunately the effect is so subtle and natural that we seldom reflect over it. We took this as an opportunity to convert a product into a larger movement that would impact people’s lives positively.
For the campaign to translate into real change, it needed integrated solutions to facilitate audience agency and enable readers’ to make that shift in their life.
THE IDEA
To create this positive shift in the mindset in a largely negative media space called for innovative ideas. For the campaign to translate into real change, it needed integrated solutions to facilitate audience agency and enable readers’ to make that shift in their life. The campaign demanded the creation of a positive language that would be the voice and vehicle of change. And we envisaged the ‘No Negative Monday’ newspaper and the #LiveNoNegative movement as a platform for dialogue and positive change.
THE EXECUTION STRATEGY
Our idea was to make people think. Think negatively. Show them how negative thoughts come very naturally. And then let them question their own thinking by turning the same situation on its head. The message was simple: ‘change your thinking and everything else will change.’ We chose digital media to create a mass movement towards a No Negative way of life. The campaign was anchored in an interactive digital film and a website. We deployed print, outdoor, experiential products, amplified by on-ground events and activation and aligned them with social media presence through website, micro site, YouTube videos, Google ad words, Facebook and Twitter.
In a build-up to the #LiveNoNegative interactive video which was our campaign anchor, a teaser campaign ran across media – in print, outdoors and digital space for 5 days. The 4 teasers with 4 unfinished stories started out as a negative plot and heightened curiosity in the movement. The launch date of the revealer video was strategically chosen to be – Friday the 13th which is generally perceived as negative. The revealer video, wove the 4 unfinished negative plots and transformed them into a positive end. This surprising and delightful twist played on the viewers’ psyche. The element of choice offered to viewers – whether to see the end or not further piqued their curiosity and heightened the element of surprise.
INITIATIVE SPECIFIC WEBSITE
The #LiveNoNegative website was designed to create an interactive and thought provoking experience for those who believe in positive change. From the engaging layout, bright colors, motivational content, videos, everything contributed to spread our core message. Demonstrating well that positivity does not need any selling, no trace of any negative news was used. To take the idea to its impactful conclusion, the website offered viewers a choice to sign a No Negative pledge. The pledge certificates could be uploaded and shared on the pledge takers’ FB accounts.
The website brought the 4 initiators from the youtube teaser videos to the centerstage. Their personal story helped them to connect with the audience and their everyday challenges.
Experiential Product Innovation
LNN as a movement was aimed at evoking positive emotions. We connected with the stakeholders in an innovative and evocative way with a first-of-its-kind rose scented newspaper. Using fragrance as a natural mood enhancer; literally and figuratively, this fragranced newspaper was delivered across 5000 homes with a singular purpose of spreading the fragrance of positivity.
Ground Activation
The movement towards positivity was extended on ground with thought provoking events to help make change – such as marathons, knowledge series and a public program with Sadguru – a spiritual leader with a global following.
The Impact
From an idea to a movement of change, the Live No Negative campaign pioneered positive journalism. It brought together people of all walks of life with prominent citizens towards a positive cause.
It was a moment of honor when the movement earned a special note by the Hon’ble PM of India - twice on two different platforms.
The campaign broke the myth that only negativity sells in journalism.
It has been taken up as a marketing case study by the leading management institutions like IIM.
It inspired 81% of Dainik Bhaskar readers to believe that positive news has a positive impact on their lives
It was a game changer that altered Indian news media’s editorial philosophy and initiated an integration of positive content. (IPSOS Survey)
The campaign also helped increase Dainik Bhaskar’s circulation revenue by 8%
