MUMBAI: A donkey has got the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India frothing at the mouth. The ass called Max has been featuring in episodes of Colors’ Bigg Boss18, along with 18 other human contestants. The show, produced by Endemol Shine, added a new twist to the eighteenth season by introducing Max on it.
Peta India, which has more than two million members and supporters, has written to host Salman Khan imploring him to get Max, who has been brought into the BB house by advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte (a contestant in BB18), off the show.
“We are being inundated with complaints by members of the public who are deeply distressed over the keeping of a donkey in the Bigg Boss house.,” Peta India advocacy associate Shaurya Agrawal has appealed to Salman in a letter addressed to the hero. “As one of India’s most influential stars and the host of Bigg Boss, you have the power to set a compassionate example. We respectfully ask that you use this influence to urge the show’s producers to avoid using animals as props for entertainment. This would not only prevent stress to the animal and upset to viewers but also set a powerful precedent. We also urge you to encourage advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte, who has reportedly brought Max into the house, to surrender the donkey to Peta India to rehome in a sanctuary with other rescued donkeys.”
Agrawal further states in the letter that the use of animals on a show set is no laughing matter as donkeys are naturally nervous and they would find the lights, sounds and clamour confusing and frightening. “That a show set is no place for an animal is obvious to viewers who are saddened to see the donkey kept in a small, confined space standing in waste,” he adds in the letter. “Moreover, donkeys are social animals, whose wellbeing is best ensured by permitting them to be part of a herd. Just as we humans live in family groups, so do donkeys. It is reported advocate Sadavarte keeps the donkey for research regarding milk. But donkeys produce milk strictly for their foals.”
He ends the letter to Salman stating that society has evolved, and the caring public finds the use of animals on shows sad, not funny. “Please take the steps suggested in this letter to show that Bigg Boss recognises animals deserve our compassion and respect.”
Will Salman, Viacom18 and the show’s producers Endemol Shine India heed Peta India’s plea? Will they evict Max and make him the first one to exit BB18?
Mumbai: It has been a year riddled with challenges and loss. The second wave of the pandemic devastated families and took a heavy toll on the country as a whole. Amid all these challenges, India has entered into its 75th year of independence. As the country gears up to mark this momentous occasion, brands too aren’t behind in becoming a part of the grand moment. From campaigns that convey a sense of hope and elation to music videos that commemorate the people’s resilient spirits, these heart-warming narratives are bound to strike an emotional chord with viewers.
Uber
The ride-hailing app launched a music video as a tribute to India’s fighting spirit. The video features a five-year-old singer from Mizoram, Esther Hnamte performing an earnest rendition of AR Rahman’s “Maa Tujhe Salaam”. The video also highlights Uber’s efforts to support communities around the country during COVID-19. Uber has found meaningful ways to cater to evolving needs by creating livelihood opportunities for drivers on the platform. The company shifted focus to move what mattered most: serving frontline healthcare workers, facilitating essential trips for citizens, supporting vulnerable communities, and keeping vital supply chains moving, which is depicted through the three-minute video.
BookMyShow
In rural Jharkhand, young girls are forced to drop out of school and become child brides and work to support their families. BookASmile, the entertainment platform’s charity initiative, in collaboration with Jharkhand-based NGO – YUWA has been working at the grassroots to uplift the lives of these girls by breaking the shackles of such social evils and providing them an equal opportunity to discover their true potential through sports.
The association has conceptualised a new campaign to highlight the role of freedom through sports titled ‘Independence Through Sports’. Launched in the format of a digital video film on the eve of the Independence Day it furthers their work in encouraging and empowering young girls to explore the realm of sports through this campaign. Since 2015, BookASmile has supported YUWA, to build a grassroots program ‘Football for Empowerment’ working together to train young women from tribal and low economic backgrounds as coaches and leaders.
Policybazaar
The online insurance marketplace has released its new digital film on the occasion of Independence Day, drawing attention towards core human values of lending a helping hand at the time of need.
Conceptualised by Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, and directed by Pinaki Bose, the digital film is based on a heart-warming story of a street violinist in Kolkata who once used to play in popular cafes. However, due to no takers for his craft, he is forced to earn money while playing on the streets. The brand wanted to give a positive larger-than-life message while staying salient to the category. The film depicts how the goodness of strangers is all that one has in times of need. Much like insurance, which is there to support you when you need it the most!
Tata Tea Premium
As an earnest gesture to lend support to the Indian artisan community, TATA Tea Premium celebrates this Independence Day by bringing out a unique #DeshKaKulhad collection in partnership with Rare Planet – a startup that promotes the work of local Indian artisans. The proceeds of the sale of these exquisite hand-painted kulhads will help to lend support to the artisan community that has been severely impacted by the current times.
As part of the initiative, the brand has released a video anthem celebrating the artisans of India. Sung by the singer, composer and popular Pop Sufi rock artist, Rituraj Mohanty the song celebrates the rich cultural diversity of India. As the wheel spins and the clay moulds and gets sculpted, we can witness the pride of India’s heritage and art taking its shape. These special kulhads have been handcrafted with region-specific artforms like Madhubani folk art from Bihar, Warli artform from Maharashtra, Phulkari patterns from Punjab, Patachitra from Odisha, Sanjhi art from UP, etc.
Godrej Group
The Godrej Group released a digital film to celebrate the spirit of independence as seen from the eyes of the country’s youth with the campaign – #FreedomIs. The theme #FreedomIs expresses the expectations of the youth and presents their belief of what freedom means to them, and how their kind of India will be different. The campaign highlights various aspects that they can relate to and urges every citizen to take a pledge to spread this idea of an optimistic India.
Conceptualised by the corporate brand and communications team of Godrej and Creativeland Asia, the narrative of the digital film aims to inspire the youth of India to cherish their freedom, serving as a reminder and a call to action.
CashKaro
The cashback & coupons site recently announced its Independence Day campaign #HumIndianHain in collaboration with celebrities like Ali Fazal, Sunil Grover, and Nidhi Agerwal. This campaign highlights how every Indian loves finding value for money. It celebrates the quirky elements that make us truly Indian, while also urging us to embrace them all and cherish our Indianness.
PETA
Through its new Independence Day PETA India (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Billboard Campaign, the American animal rights organisation encourages adoption of street animals. To reinforce this social message just in time for Independence Day, PETA India has placed a billboard in all major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, encouraging people to get patriotic by adopting a lovable Indian dog from the streets or an animal shelter, rather than adding to the homeless-animal crisis by patronising breeders and pet shops that sell foreign pedigrees.
Meanwhile, there are goodies to be won for wearing one’s patriotic heart on our sleeves too! Adding flavour to the current feelings of joyousness, Taco Bell will reward all consumers, who are striving every day to get closer to the ‘finish line’, with a free crunchy taco on 15 August. Through their campaign, the brand aims to recognise and acknowledge each Indian who is a go-getter in his or her respective fields.
Candere by Kalyan Jewellers has also come out with an exclusive offer on its diamond jewellery collection to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, the 75th year of our Independence. The brand is offering a discount on diamond prices that will be open from 9 August and will continue till 16 August.
MUMBAI: Tennis champion Rohan Bopanna has shown his support against animal cruelty by playing a role in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s campaign.
Recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, he is seen posing with rescued rooster Smack next to the words “Tennis Is a Sport – Cockfighting Is Not”. The print visual for the campaign was shot by ace photographer Sam Mohan whereas Bopanna’s hair and make-up were done by Tejal Rao.
“When it comes to cockfights …[roosters] are taught to be aggressive … and they have got knives and spurs on their feet, trying to injure one another,” said Bopanna. “Roosters in cockfights are left to die …. Cockfights never really have a victory. One dies, another one gets injured.”
Roosters raised for fighting are often confined to cramped cages and tormented to make them aggressive. Razor-sharp spurs are attached to the birds’ feet to make fights more exciting ie bloody. The birds often have their eyes gouged out and sustain broken wings and legs, punctured lungs and severed spinal cords. Those who survive are forced to fight again.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, prohibits forcing animals to fight. And in 2014, the Honourable Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of PETA India by making staged fights between animals illegal nationwide but cockfights are still organised in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.
Bopanna is currently ranked 11 in the world in the doubles category for tennis. He reached his career-high doubles ranking in 2013, when he was ranked number three in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
MUMBAI: Tennis champion Rohan Bopanna has shown his support against animal cruelty by playing a role in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s campaign.
Recently qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics, he is seen posing with rescued rooster Smack next to the words “Tennis Is a Sport – Cockfighting Is Not”. The print visual for the campaign was shot by ace photographer Sam Mohan whereas Bopanna’s hair and make-up were done by Tejal Rao.
“When it comes to cockfights …[roosters] are taught to be aggressive … and they have got knives and spurs on their feet, trying to injure one another,” said Bopanna. “Roosters in cockfights are left to die …. Cockfights never really have a victory. One dies, another one gets injured.”
Roosters raised for fighting are often confined to cramped cages and tormented to make them aggressive. Razor-sharp spurs are attached to the birds’ feet to make fights more exciting ie bloody. The birds often have their eyes gouged out and sustain broken wings and legs, punctured lungs and severed spinal cords. Those who survive are forced to fight again.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, prohibits forcing animals to fight. And in 2014, the Honourable Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of PETA India by making staged fights between animals illegal nationwide but cockfights are still organised in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.
Bopanna is currently ranked 11 in the world in the doubles category for tennis. He reached his career-high doubles ranking in 2013, when he was ranked number three in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals.
MUMBAI: There is no dearth of ‘shocking’ videos that circulate the internet and take netizens by a storm for a brief period of time, but rarely does one leave a lasting impact like PETA’s Behind That Exotic-Skin Handbag.
As the name reflects, the video aims to bring to light the controversial and yet generally known issue of animal cruelty in the luxury leatherwear industry.
In partnership with advertising mammoth Ogilvy and Mather, PETA manages to capture the macabre behind the leather fashion industry by bringing it to the glossier front of the showroom.
For years PETA has fought against the cruel abuse of animals in the leather industry with a major challenge being to convince the fashionistas who, though sympathise with the cause, but completely dissociate from it when admiring that fine leather clutch in the showroom.
Therefore Ogilvy and Mather were up for a challenge to execute a campaign that not only effectively spreads the message but lets people experience the cruelty first hand.
“It is a challenge how to communicate the same message that has been done in various forms effectively with impact. So, we came up with this campaign that not only delivers the message but to let the target audiences experience the cruelty in their hands,” Ogilvy & Mather Thailand, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Nopadol Srikieatikajohn.
The mandate from PETA was simple, “no animals should be killed and used in the process of campaign production,” and that’s exactly what Ogilvy did, much to the surprise of those who have seen the video.
They created a pop up store ‘Leatherworks’ in the heart of Thailand’s largest shopping centres, promising urban shoppers and fashionistas leather goods, more real than they perhaps ever wanted.
The objective was clear: to convince fashion lovers to give up on real leather merchandise and go for faux leather or synthetic leather, and they did so amazingly by shocking potential buyers ‘beating hearts’, ‘bloody skins,’ and ‘gory sinews’. Ironically, the bloody ‘insides’ showcased in the video really are made up of various types of plastic and synthetic material, as per PETA Asia Pacific. To give it that realistic appeal was the most challenging part of executing this campaign, pointed out Srikieatikajohn..
“The organ mock ups and mechanics was one of the most challenging parts. It doesn’t only need to look real but the mechanic behind also has to be programmed perfectly with the sensor detection to make the organs move when they were exposed to the light (when the bags opened.) This experiment process took up to 12 weeks before we get the perfect fully functioned mock ups running,” he explained.
“It wasn’t an easy job to set up a show that looked real enough to come shop either. To make it most effective, it had to be at the centre of a tourist shopping district. With budget constraints and a very provoking campaign idea, it was really hard to find the right venue that could support us and agree with the small budget. After 3 to 4 location surveys and contacts, we finally found the one that worked.”
“It took two months– from showroom design to the full set up. Before we were allowed to rent the store, campaign details and store design were submitted to the landlord for approval,” the creative explained.
When asked about the people shown in the published video, Srikieatikajohn said, “With the legal issues, some of the footage of real shoppers cannot be used. The people in the Video are a mix of real shoppers and people that we invited to the shop; however they were all unaware of what they would see in the shop while we were filming and we captured their real shocking reactions.”
The issue with a shocking brand communication is that sometimes people might be overwhelmed by the shock and forget the underlying message. PETA and O&M knew this well, and were patient with how people responded to the campaign and the following video.
“We did not expect them to understand the message right away so we had a staff approached them right after they found out what’s inside, handed out the brochure and explained the true message behind the campaign,” Srikieatikajohn said.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of reptiles are crudely bludgeoned and skinned alive, all for the sake of so-called ‘luxury’ shoes, belts and bags”, says PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura. “PETA Asia’s gruesome pop-up shop reminds shoppers that the only way to keep blood and guts out of our closets is to choose vegan clothing, shoes and accessories,” she added in parting.
MUMBAI: There is no dearth of ‘shocking’ videos that circulate the internet and take netizens by a storm for a brief period of time, but rarely does one leave a lasting impact like PETA’s Behind That Exotic-Skin Handbag.
As the name reflects, the video aims to bring to light the controversial and yet generally known issue of animal cruelty in the luxury leatherwear industry.
In partnership with advertising mammoth Ogilvy and Mather, PETA manages to capture the macabre behind the leather fashion industry by bringing it to the glossier front of the showroom.
For years PETA has fought against the cruel abuse of animals in the leather industry with a major challenge being to convince the fashionistas who, though sympathise with the cause, but completely dissociate from it when admiring that fine leather clutch in the showroom.
Therefore Ogilvy and Mather were up for a challenge to execute a campaign that not only effectively spreads the message but lets people experience the cruelty first hand.
“It is a challenge how to communicate the same message that has been done in various forms effectively with impact. So, we came up with this campaign that not only delivers the message but to let the target audiences experience the cruelty in their hands,” Ogilvy & Mather Thailand, Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Nopadol Srikieatikajohn.
The mandate from PETA was simple, “no animals should be killed and used in the process of campaign production,” and that’s exactly what Ogilvy did, much to the surprise of those who have seen the video.
They created a pop up store ‘Leatherworks’ in the heart of Thailand’s largest shopping centres, promising urban shoppers and fashionistas leather goods, more real than they perhaps ever wanted.
The objective was clear: to convince fashion lovers to give up on real leather merchandise and go for faux leather or synthetic leather, and they did so amazingly by shocking potential buyers ‘beating hearts’, ‘bloody skins,’ and ‘gory sinews’. Ironically, the bloody ‘insides’ showcased in the video really are made up of various types of plastic and synthetic material, as per PETA Asia Pacific. To give it that realistic appeal was the most challenging part of executing this campaign, pointed out Srikieatikajohn..
“The organ mock ups and mechanics was one of the most challenging parts. It doesn’t only need to look real but the mechanic behind also has to be programmed perfectly with the sensor detection to make the organs move when they were exposed to the light (when the bags opened.) This experiment process took up to 12 weeks before we get the perfect fully functioned mock ups running,” he explained.
“It wasn’t an easy job to set up a show that looked real enough to come shop either. To make it most effective, it had to be at the centre of a tourist shopping district. With budget constraints and a very provoking campaign idea, it was really hard to find the right venue that could support us and agree with the small budget. After 3 to 4 location surveys and contacts, we finally found the one that worked.”
“It took two months– from showroom design to the full set up. Before we were allowed to rent the store, campaign details and store design were submitted to the landlord for approval,” the creative explained.
When asked about the people shown in the published video, Srikieatikajohn said, “With the legal issues, some of the footage of real shoppers cannot be used. The people in the Video are a mix of real shoppers and people that we invited to the shop; however they were all unaware of what they would see in the shop while we were filming and we captured their real shocking reactions.”
The issue with a shocking brand communication is that sometimes people might be overwhelmed by the shock and forget the underlying message. PETA and O&M knew this well, and were patient with how people responded to the campaign and the following video.
“We did not expect them to understand the message right away so we had a staff approached them right after they found out what’s inside, handed out the brochure and explained the true message behind the campaign,” Srikieatikajohn said.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of reptiles are crudely bludgeoned and skinned alive, all for the sake of so-called ‘luxury’ shoes, belts and bags”, says PETA India Chief Executive Officer Poorva Joshipura. “PETA Asia’s gruesome pop-up shop reminds shoppers that the only way to keep blood and guts out of our closets is to choose vegan clothing, shoes and accessories,” she added in parting.
