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Tag: #NoConditionsApply

  • Times Of India announces next leg of award winning #NoConditionsApply campaign, makes a national movement

    Times Of India announces next leg of award winning #NoConditionsApply campaign, makes a national movement

    MUMBAI: The Times of India has launched the second leg of its critically acclaimed campaign #NoConditionsApply Sindoor Khela that raises a pertinent question on inclusion during celebrations. Last year, the campaign was launched with a slam poetry video that pointed out the discrimination a woman goes through owing to her marital status, childbearing capability or sexual orientation.  What followed, was an all-inclusive Sindoor Khela that was hosted by TOI at one of the most prestigious pandals in Kolkata – Tridhara Sammilani – where all women participated in the social celebrations sans their societal tags of transgender, widow, separated, divorced, single mother, married and so on. This year, the campaign takes a step forward to urge the Puja Committees across the nation to take up the mantle and host #NoConditionsApply Sindoor Khela at their premises during the last day of Durga Puja. What started with a localized campaign in Kolkata set in one Puja Pandal, is all set to travel to several cities across the nation. 

    The campaign is a part of TOI’s larger umbrella #NoConditionsApply (NCA) – which is a campaign that calls for gender equity and equal opportunities across ambition, education, celebrations by both the genders. NCA Sindoor Khela takes up the issue of inclusive celebration during festivals with a context to Durga Puja which itself is a celebration of femininity. The Double Dot of Sindoor is the sisterhood mnemonic that calls for treating all women equal as Sisters without societal labels, and has been carried forward from last year as modern-era ‘Symbol of Sisterhood’.

    Last year, when the campaign was launched, it received a stupendous reaction from people who wanted to offer their support and be a part of the movement. The second leg of the campaign gives them the opportunity and encouragement to make that happen. TOI has launched a powerful video which is narrated by leading ladies from Kolkata: Rituparna Sengupta, Gargee Roychowdhury, Manobi Bandyopadhyay and Sohini Sengupta come together once again along with Imon Chakraborty and Sudeshna Roy and invite women to #BringaSisterAlong this Pujo. The short video is based during the days leading up to Pujo where we see women from different walks of life: a banker, a sex worker, a cancer survivor, a transgender and an unlikely but heartwarming friendship between a woman and her ex mother-in-law. Through shared stories that intertwine their struggle and survival, the campaign talks about women empowering women and standing with each other with a call to inclusion. 

    The Double Dot Sindoor – is the symbol of modern day sisterhood – that stands out in the monochromatic video that is backed by powerful beats of the Durga Puja drums (dhaak), bound to leave you stirred. With this edition, TOI aims to extend the campaign by reaching out to pandals across the nation; encouraging readers to host an inclusive Sindoor Khela and “Bring a Sister Along”. The campaign urges everyone to celebrate an inclusive Sindoor Khela where everyone is invited and feel included, and discard the tags of transgender, widow, lesbian, divorcee, separated, married and so on. TOI is also encouraging readers to share stories and pictures of their inclusive celebrations, which can be shared via social media. Committees interested in being a part of the movement can reach out on 9326819922 via calls or whatsapp. This year, as the campaign goes national, over 50 of the most prominent pandals across India have pledged to host an all-inclusive Sindoor Khela, and this number keeps going up with every passing hour. 

    Commenting on the launch, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI, said, “The Sindoor Khela #NoConditionsApply initiative launched last year was a resounding success. True to our brand philosophy, we were able to seed a positive change in the age old tradition of exclusion of the marginalised women in our society. This year we want this initiative to gather the momentum of a movement. This year more and more Pujo committees are requested to throw open their doors to all marginalised sections of women in our society and women are encouraged to bring a sister along. A sister that has thus far been excluded from the wonderful celebration of Sindoor Khela. The Times of India continues to provide thought leadership on hundreds of issues that need redressal and continues to live up to its brand promise of ‘Change Begins Here’.”

    Speaking about the launch of the next leg of the campaign, Swati Bhattacharya Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka India said, "Following the massive success of the launch and initiation of #NoConditionsApply campaign last year, we are proud to take it up a notch this year and extend the reach of the thought beyond Kolkata and to many more cities across the nation. Together with TOI, the aim this year is to bring the entire nation together and echo the same message #BringASisterAlong, and celebrate an all-inclusive Sindoor Khela. We look forward to another successful run and hope that this year we are able to unite the entire nation to celebrate the power of womanhood."

    The initiative has brought about a wave a change in the way festivals are celebrated in the country. Critically acclaimed actor, Rituparna Sengupta commented on the success of the campaign saying, “I am really happy to be a part of this wonderful campaign especially since I feel very strongly about the cause. All credit to Times of India for coming up with such a great idea and giving us an opportunity to bring about a change. I hope that people will support us in this initiative and help us take it to the next stage, to numerous Pandals across. It fills me with pride that I was able to be a part of something like this, I would love to extend my support in any way possible in making this a Global Movement.”

    The first edition kick-started with a heartwarming slam poetry titled “Sindoor Khela: #NoConditionsApply”, narrating stories sharing the perspective of women who have been sidelined by society and find themselves unwelcome to the festivities of Durga Puja. The video struck such a chord with the masses that it crossed 6 mn views with a 20 MN campaign reach across social media. Following which, one of the most revered Durga Pujo organizers in Kolkata, Tridhara Sammilani was brought on board to host an all-inclusive Sindoor Khela – a custom that is traditionally reserved for married women – by inviting widows, single mothers, sex workers, LGBTQ folks and anyone who might be considered as an outsider to join them in celebration.

    This celebration of women from all walks of life resonated with millions across the world including personalities from the Indian Film Fraternity like Bipasha Basu, Taapsee Pannu, national award winner Srijit Mukherji, music maestro Shekhar Ravjiani among many others. The effort was also lent support by luminaries like Vidya Balan and LGBT activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.

  • TOI’s #NoConditionsApply campaign wins big at Cannes Lions 2018

    TOI’s #NoConditionsApply campaign wins big at Cannes Lions 2018

    MUMBAI: Times of India recently won four honours at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its campaign #NoConditionsApply that was launched in 2017 to shed light on the disparity with the female gender in modern society.

    It focussed on Shindoor Khela, a 400 year old traditional followed in the Bengali culture where on the 10th day of Durga Pujo, married women would celebrate sisterhood by applying vermilion on each other. As a part of the campaign TOI joined hands with Tridhara Sammilani, one of the prestigious Durga Pujo organisers in Kolkata, to host an all-inclusive Shindoor Khela celebration. 

    #NoConditionsApply was conceptualised by FCB Ulka India and created a wave across digital and social media transcending the boundaries of caste and culture becoming a national force which voiced the same message social inclusion for all women. The celebration was captured as a shot film by Bakery Film Productions and the communication amplification was managed by Moe’s Art.

    The campaign that sparked a revolution has received the top honour at Cannes Lions 2018 by winning a gold Lion in Glass, The Lion for Change category that celebrates culture shifting creativity. It has also won a gold Lion in Direct Lions: Excellence in Single Country. The campaign also picked up two bronze Lions one in Direct Lions, excellence in Low budget/high impact campaign and marketing category another in brand experience and activation Lions.

    TOI brand director Sanjeev Bhargava said, “When it comes to campaigns for social good, usually communication provokes action by a thoughtful spotlighting of the issue. The #NoConditionsApply Shindoor Khela campaign went a little further and there lies the power of the idea. This realisation and its amplification by simply inviting the marginalised sections of society to participate equally in the festival and investing a new symbol of womanhood with the two dots created an emotional significance in Bengali society that women are an absolute entity and not dependent on their male counterparts for either validation or special privileges.”

    “While the initiative started off with one Puja Pandal in the city, the amplification of the initiative in various media has brought us a tremendous response and going forward, we intend to spread what is likely to snowball into a movement to multiple festivities all over the country and help establish a strong symbol of gender equality with our brand of newspaper reiterating its influence as a change maker in the country,” he added

    FCB Ulka India national creative head Swati Bhattacharya said, “I’m absolutely overjoyed with the success of the campaign at Cannes, but more so, with the fact that there were so many women from the world over, who resonated with the campaign. In a world, which is full of rage and anger, this women’s movement is born out of love, joy, friendship and dancing. This initiative doesn’t turn to men either to make them change their mind or to recalibrate their views of women. This campaign was accepted as the movement owned and led by the women. This reaffirms our belief that we can improve things for ourselves if we come together as one – as sisters.”

    #NoConditionsApply was the most trending campaign on social media and had a reach of over 20 million when it was launched.

  • #NoConditionsApply campaign crosses 2.9m views

    #NoConditionsApply campaign crosses 2.9m views

    NEW DELHI:  The 2nd leg of the campaign, #NoConditionsApply, a revolution kicked off by Calcutta Times aimed at changing the division of tradition is creating waves across the country.

    Crafted by FCB Ulka, the campaign has been released in print and on social media platforms.

    The campaign, is based on the 400-year-old tradition of Sindoor Khela the last day of the auspicious Durga Pooja, an annual Hindu festival. The Sindur:  that married women put in the parting of their hair, to indicate their marital status.

    During the festive time, the warrior goddess, Durga, is worshipped by the Bengali community in India, for a period of 4 days at the onset of autumn. On the last day of this vibrant, rich, communal celebration, married woman endorse the goddess’ and their own marital prosperity by applying Sindur on to the idol’s face and then to each other. It’s a mad riot of vermillion celebration. It’s about a fertile world, a wedded world, a world that acknowledges the wifeness & motherness of a goddess who has just slain a demon. But while the married women come together the rest of sisterhood looks on…uninvited.

    “This movement wasn’t for those who had opted out. It was for those who had been pushed out. It was about erasing a line not drawn by them, but by others. About two dots of red with no barrier in between. Me & my other sister. My transgender sister. My widowed sister. My sex worker sister. My outlier sister. It was about equality in symbology. Because after all, that is where it all begins and where it all flows back to. Every progressive, inclusive thought is only as powerful as the ritual it permeates. At least in a country like India – where ritual is everything” said Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka.

    Shedding light on the theme, Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman and CEO, FCB India said, “I have a special connection with this campaign. Having been born and brought up in Kolkata, Durga Puja was something I always looked forward to in my growing up years. Sarbojanin Durga Puja was how I always remembered it. Sarbojanin means for everyone. So Durga Puja was for everyone but Sindoor Khela wasn’t. Swati, Chief Creative Officer FCB Ulka and a feminist, created this campaign about social inclusion for TOI. Inclusion cannot be conditional. And so #noconditionsapply was the perfect articulation to spark off this behaviour change campaign.”

    Speaking on the occasion, Sumeli Chatterjee, Vice President, Brand TOI said, “#NoConditionsApply is an initiative that is close to our heart and existence. There is a lot of talk of diversity of gender, this highlights the need to have diversity even within the gender. While we have hosted this inclusive Shindoor Khela initiative in Kolkata, the messaging is relevant to every occasion and every festivity. When we talk of Gender Equity, we cannot limit our conversations to only ambition and opportunities; we need to talk about inclusion in Festivals, Celebrations and every walk of life that will allow everyone to walk that step together. No Celebration can every be complete without including one and all.”

    Campaign Summary

     

    Campaign Elements : Digital & Print

     

    Client : Times of India

     

    Creative Agency : FCB Ulka

     

    Creative Partner : Fred Levron

     

    Chief Creative Officer : Swati Bhattacharya

     

    National Creative Director : Surjo Dutt

     

    Creative Team : Shailesh Khandeparker, Romit Nair, Donovan D’souza, Arijit Gupta, Arijit Sengupta, Abhijeet Ray, Anusheela Saha, SV Srinath, Gayatri Sriram, Ranit Mukherjee, Aurdhendu Banerji

      

    Account Management : M N Damodaran, Vineeta Arora

     

    Planning Team : John Thangaraj

     

    Director (of the TVC) :  Amit Roy

     

    Producers : Kirk Dias, Ramel George

     

    Production House : The Bakery Films

     

     

    TVC Details : 1 Film

     

    Working title of film : No Conditions Apply

     

    Duration: 3 minutes 35 seconds

     

    Campaign breaks as of : November 1, 2017

     

     

     

  • #Noconditionsapply to dreams: TOI

    MUMBAI: True freedom comes with a right to choose between ‘Yes’and‘No’. But, almost half of the country lives with freedom that comes with *conditions apply. Right from her birth, a girl is told what she should do and what she should not. She grows up in an environment where freedom is a permission that is sometimes granted to her, sometimes not. The degree of gender discrimination might change with geographies, communities and affluence. Increasingly, women are rejecting the notion of freedom with *conditions, but it is very much present as a part of our society and unsaid family rules across larger parts of the country.

    This International Women’s Day, The Times of India brings together multiple voices and discovers inspiring stories where women across the country are winning over *conditions to achieve their aspirations.The campaign is joined by Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Deepa Malik, Shalini Saraswathi, Sakshi Malik and many other achievers who share their stories of how have shattered *conditions put on them to achieve their dreams. The campaign #NoConditionsApply raises pertinent questions as to why the society still has different rules for daughters and sons. Why people expect her to be strong,yet her independent views are trolled. Why people tell her to dream big, but don’t allow her to challenge traditions. Why she is expected to work hard, but not have an expectation of equal pay. The crimes against women make it to headlines often, but few see the daylight of true justice. And, in the end, the shame is always a burden for her to bear. Across the country, the rules for men and women are almost always never the same.

    The Times of India is celebrating #NoConditionsApply across all its 45+ youth centric supplements like Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Chennai Times, Bangalore Times, Ahmedabad Times, Calcutta Times, Hyderabad Times, Pune Times etc., through inspiring stories of women achievers who have busted the *conditions put on their dreams.

    The campaign features Delhi’s MMA fighters who share what it means to fight-like-a-girl, ace women comedians who quip with smart repartee on sexist comments, Pune’s warrior women excelling in Mardani Khel, college theatre groups that blatantly question gender biases and many more unique stories. Flagging off the campaign, Alia Bhatt says “We would’ve lost so much talent across fields, had women not decided to give their aspirations a shot”.

    Talking about her views on #NoConditionsApply, Priyanka Chopra says “It starts with a bigger conversation around feminism which is about making decisions for ourselves without being judged, and with the same freedom that men have enjoyed for so many years. “Deepa Malik shares her secret to beat the conditions, “When you are passionate about something, the whole universe comes together to help. It all starts with faith in yourself and your determination. No conditions apply when it comes to achieving your dreams.”

    Share your stories and wish every woman you know “Happy Women’s Day” and wish her a life in which #NoConditionsApply.

    Show your support, share your stories and spread the message at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/campaignlanding/57458215.cms and tag your friends, family and partner. Because when everyone joins the conversation, she will live free.