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Tag: Twitter

  • Twitter permanently bans Donald Trump

    Twitter permanently bans Donald Trump

    NEW DELHI: After years of hectoring allies, attacking opponents and disseminating disinformation, US President Donald Trump’s favourite online mouthpiece has been shut down. Twitter on Friday permanently suspended Trump’s account citing “risk of further incitement of violence,” thereby effectively cutting him off from his 88 million plus followers on the microblogging platform.

    Twitter’s move comes days after hundreds of pro-Trump protesters stormed Capitol Hill in Washington DC and unleashed chaos in the very seat of American power. The service clearly stated the incident was the trigger leading to the permanent ban on Trump, especially since the president had taken to Twitter to further propagate false claims about the 2020 US elections.

    Initially, in the wake of the Capitol riot, Twitter had locked Trump’s account for 12 hours following three tweets that violated the company’s terms of service. It restored his handle after 12 hours had elapsed, even as Facebook indefinitely suspended Trump’s page as “the risks” of allowing him to post on the platform are “too great.”

    No sooner was his Twitter account restored that Trump took to it and posted a video message telling his supporters to go home. He not only did not censure them for their actions, but instead, referred to them as “special people” and told them “we love you.” While he eventually posted another video statement saying he would support a peaceful transition of power, he followed it up with a tweet stating his intention to skip president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January.

    And while many commentators agree that it was a long time coming, Jack Dorsey gave Trump the boot from his platform as “in the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action.”

    Trump, of course, did not take the snub lying down, and accused Twitter of having “coordinated with the Democrats and Radical Left” to suspend his @realDonaldTrump account. He also, according to several media reports, tried multiple times to post from alternate handles, like the official @POTUS account, but these tweets were promptly deleted by the platform.

    Apart from Twitter and Facebook, other social media networks have also shown some spine and are finally cracking down on Trump. Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch barred access to the president’s account, while YouTube enacted a stricter misinformation policy which makes it easier to suspend Trump for posting false election claims.

    Calls for Trump’s impeachment have been gaining momentum over the last couple of days, as bipartisan lawmakers and the common people alike hold the president responsible for spewing unfounded lies of voter fraud and provoking the mob that broke into and defaced the US Capitol. Five people, including a policeman, died in the riot.

    Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House would move ahead with the process to impeach Trump if he did not resign immediately. A CNN report stated that "multiple Republicans" and former Trump allies are considering supporting his impeachment. And while Trump was the third US president to have impeachment proceedings initiated against him (in January 2020), he may well be the first leader of the free world to be impeached twice.

  • #Throwback2020: Best brand tweets in India

    #Throwback2020: Best brand tweets in India

    NEW DELHI: Twitter is a reflection of what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about. Over time brands across categories have leveraged Twitter’s ad offerings and influence to strengthen their presence among audiences. This year, as businesses pivoted to digital-first campaigns, Twitter emerged as an indispensable partner to launch something new and to connect with consumers. The constraints of 2020 encouraged brands to be more creative, thoughtful and personal, resulting in campaigns that warmed the heart and left people wanting more. Let’s look back at some brands and campaigns that stood out and made a difference with their Twitter salvos: 

    Best brand for speaking out and standing up: Axis Bank for #ReverseTheKhata

    While nearly every industry was drastically impacted in 2020, the worst-hit were local vendors and small businesses, with many being pushed to the brink. Axis Bank took up the cause and asked people to #ReverseTheKhata, referencing the bond between customers and their corner shop through the maintenance of a ‘khata’. The khata is based on the trust and loyalty shared between the two parties. The campaign showed us different moments on the relationship between customers and small businesses, projecting the various emotions that bubble up from the simple statement – Khate mein likh do – urging people to reverse roles and support vendors who have continued to serve us while keeping our accounts. The campaign used a clever and relatable insight, connecting with its audience in an authentic way, making it the best brand for speaking out and standing up. 

    Best #OnlyOnTwitter campaign: Netflix India for #NetflixMatchmaker

    We love to watch our favourite series and films on Netflix and look for the best recommendations, including on Twitter. Netflix India built on this insight and launched #NetflixMatchmaker. This innovation allowed a customised bank of emojis to serve fans a personalised experience on Twitter, helping them decide what to watch. So, how does it work? When someone tweets an emoji with the hashtag #NetflixMatchmaker, they are rewarded with a content recommendation tied to that specific emoji. For example, tweeting a gift emoji might send a recommendation for a holiday movie. Netflix knew there would be an ongoing demand for recommendations, so #NetflixMatchmaker pops up every weekend to help people match their mood to what they could enjoy streaming. This is why they had the best #OnlyOnTwitter campaign this year.  

    Best brand that brought the stadium to the phone: Star Sports

    To make up for the lack of on-ground sports experiences, Star Sports turned to Twitter to bring fans closer to all the sporting action, especially on two key occasions – the Indian Super League (ISL) and the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

    During the ISL’s  #TrueLove campaign on Twitter, Star Sports invited football fans to send in tweets with messages for their favourite footballers. At the trophy-lifting ceremony of what was a thrilling finale between ATK FC and Chennaiyin FC, these love-filled tweets presented in a physical form as Twitter-confetti and were showered upon the winning team covering them with #TrueLove for this one-of-a-kind activation. 

    For the IPL, Star Sports cued people in for the opening match through reminders on Twitter, activated by the Heart-To-Remind functionality. The brand also changed their Twitter username to ‘Star Sports at 7:30 PM’ to mark the time slot as the viewing time for the IPL. 

    Their consistent usage of Twitter to connect fans to the games they love made Star Sports the brand that brought the stadium to the phone. 

    Best campaign celebrating fandom: Samsung India for #GalaxyS20PlusBTS edition

    While launching the #GalaxyS20PlusBTS edition, Samsung routed its campaign towards the massive BTS fandom on Twitter. The brand launched a custom BTS quiz to engage with the K-pop band’s ARMY on the service who could put their love to the test and even stand to win a pair of the Galaxy Buds+ BTS edition. This carefully targeted campaign not only reached its audience but also had them glued to their Twitter timelines through a series of promoted tweets with creatives featuring various members of the band. The BTS edition campaign was part of a sustained promotion plan for the S20+, with the global launch event achieving millions of views worldwide. Samsung India’s clever use of Twitter to connect with their consumers made it the campaign that best celebrated fans. 

    Best brand connection to the couch: Amazon Prime Video for #Mirzapur2

    #Mirzapur2 hype on Twitter was real, evidenced by the many tweets begging Prime Video for the second season. As the OTT service finally prepared to premier the series, it decided to count down to the launch along with eager fans, and host a watch party to finally answer everyone’s wishes and get people watching (and reacting) together. Through a carousel events page, the brand curated a timeline of all conversations around #Mirzapur2 and also rolled out exclusive content leading up to the big day. A ‘Mirzapur throne’ emoji was also launched to fuel excitement. 

    But that was not all, following the watch party, the show’s characters were leveraged to engage the audience via a personality test pairing people with their favourite #Mirzapur characters when engaged with the tweet. Their thoughtful end-to-end integration and celebration of such a popular show earned them the title of best brand connecting all of us to our couch. 

    Best brand for pivoting when it counts: Uber India for #MoveWhatMatters

    At a time when everyone was being encouraged to stay put, Uber India, a brand that is built on doing the opposite, responded in just the right way. Playing off their slogan to #MoveForward, they suggested we #MoveWhatMatters. The brand echoed what we were hearing from public health authorities, asking people to stay home and stay safe, while their drivers continued to serve India’s essential workers. Moreover, the ride-hailing app also urged people to come out in support of their driver-partners who had also been impacted by the pandemic and set up the Uber Care Driver Fund. In a time when people needed to be assured of their safety, Uber India made its priorities clear.

    Best virtual launch: Hyundai India for the TUCSON launch with #TheNextDimension

    Hyundai India moved ahead and launched its new TUCSON via a magnificent (virtual) event called #TheNextDimension. Hyundai adopted a three-phased strategy for the launch; it acquired an active viewership through the Heart-To-Remind functionality, which reminded people to tune-in for the launch; it took over the service’s premium real estate with a promoted trend and livestream to maximise visibility, and to wrap up the launch it tweeted highlight videos from the event which were injected into people’s timelines via promoted tweets, making sure nobody missed the action. Despite not taking place on-ground, this campaign by Hyundai proved that launches can be as successful virtually. The live event recorded over 1 million views in the first 12 hours itself, making it a winner in the best virtual launch category. 

    Best new brand on the block: Cred

    Fintech start-up Cred was all over Twitter timelines in the best way. Launching its first-ever campaign with a series of videos, the brand made a strong impact, reaching new customers. The campaign was spearheaded by some of the strongest voices in the public space, including the founder himself. Moreover, picking up on a trend around nostalgia, they worked with some of the most iconic talent from the 90s and early 00s including, Govinda, Bappi Lahiri, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Anil Kapoor, Udit Narayan, and others in a creative way, ensuring mentions of CRED on Twitter reached new highs.

    Best brand voice: Zomato

    Restaurants may have been closed to visitors earlier this year, but delivery services like Zomato made themselves indispensable. And maybe because Zomato was experiencing it themselves, they knew just what to say to keep people on Twitter engaged. Keeping up with cultural moments and trends, the food delivery app stayed connected with its audience through conversations that were fun, light-hearted, and more often than not, perfectly hilarious. From being excited about a cricket match to being grumpy because of hunger pangs, Zomato engaged with its audience in one-on-one banter, replying and engaging with tweets. Adopting a sensitive voice, yet full of personality, the brand built its own community of followers making it the best brand voice on Twitter this year. 

    Best brand Fleet: IndiGo

    Since the test launch of Fleets in June, several brands have embraced it with content designed especially for the format. IndiGo stood out by engaging with its followers through consistent and coherent messaging via Fleets. Adhering to the needs of its patrons, the brand has been using the format to keep passengers informed about flight schedules and other real-time updates. Their diving into this new Twitter format gives them the title of best brand Fleets! 

  • Brand Twitter describes 2020 in one word

    Brand Twitter describes 2020 in one word

    NEW DELHI: As 2020 draws to a close (finally!), many are convinced it was a cursed year, when everything that could, did go wrong, and there was little cause for cheer. Of course, most of the blame was apportioned to the Covid2019 pandemic, but there were challenges on several other fronts too – which impacted the environment, people and businesses. So when Twitter’s official handle said to describe ‘2020 in one word’ and put it out in the universe, everyone had a lot to say. And Brand Twitter wasn’t far behind in expressing its thoughts on ‘the worst year in recent memory.’

    While some brands were all for the year to be over and done with…

    Windows

    Adobe

    YouTube

    Subway

    Others had a rather existentialist view of things…

    Netflix

    LEGO

    Zoom

    Microsoft Edge

    A few tried to look on the bright side…

    Shaadi.com

    Kerala Tourism

    Dolby India

    Meanwhile, Thrive Global founder & CEO Arianna Huffington has chosen ‘resilience’ as her word of the year. Resilience, or the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, “is the quality that was summoned in us by all the challenges of 2020. It’s also the quality that’s going to carry us forward into 2021,” writes Huffington. And that’s a word to live by.

  • CNBC-TV18 Storyboard, Twitter come together to show #BestofTweets

    CNBC-TV18 Storyboard, Twitter come together to show #BestofTweets

    NEW DELHI: CNBC-TV18’s Storyboard has partnered with Twitter to launch a special series, #BestofTweets, to offer much-needed brand insights and momentum during these times.

    #BestofTweets will dive deep into the new nuances of digital marketing by showcasing the pioneering and impactful campaigns of the year gone by on Twitter and the brands that led with innovation and created a lasting impact on the people. It will also include iconic brand-audience moments on Twitter; along with industry-experts and thought leaders who shine light on the trends and expectations of the year to come.

    The limited series kicks off with its first episode Best of Tweets – Brands Leading the Way on Saturday, 28 November 2020 with an illustrious panel of guests, including Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari, and Google India and south east Asia senior marketing director Sapna Chadha, who will offer a microscopic view into the marketing trends in 2020, including the brands’ use of digital platforms to engage with their consumers. Taking on the branding elocution, Spotify MD – India Amarjit Batra, and OnePlus India GM Vikas Agarwal will share insights on the need to redefine customer engagement and why it is important for brands as well as businesses today to be culturally relevant. 

    Curated segments in December and January will showcase unique campaigns and explore new themes. Furthermore, in December 2020, the series will have an additional treat for the viewers – an hour-long year-end special focusing on the best campaigns on Twitter in 2020.

    Network18 CEO – business news Smriti Mehra said, “For over two decades, CNBC-TV18's Storyboard has been the platform of choice for everything related to marketing and advertising in the country. This year being so extraordinary, with never-seen-before events and experiences, saw brands and consumers engage and interact even more on digital platforms, to stay connected and be heard. Thus, it is only befitting that we partner with Twitter, a platform that is becoming the barometer of what people want, and bring forth the remarkable campaigns and initiatives that shaped the narrative of one of the most defining years in modern times.” 

    Twitter India head marketing Preetha Athrey said, “Every day, we are seeing opportunities for brands to build connections, shape conversations and create impact in the life of consumers. As one of the frontier news networks, CNBC-TV18 was the perfect partner, and Storyboard the perfect show, to reach out to the business community, and talk about how marketing is evolving by highlighting some of the best campaigns Twitter has seen, with #BestofTweets."

    The #BestofTweets series will bring forth new nuances of online marketing, motivating the audience to view branding in a new light as well as adapt to this evolving scenario. It will also be a guide in assessing and embracing new innovations that the game-changers adopted to stay connected during these tough times.

    Viewers can tune into the show on Saturday at 8:30 am and repeat on Sunday at 11:30 am and 2 pm, on CNBC-TV18 and CNBCTV18.com

  • Meet Tooter, the ‘swadeshi’ alternative to Twitter

    Meet Tooter, the ‘swadeshi’ alternative to Twitter

    NEW DELHI: As the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative putters on and gathers steam, some enterprising individuals have seized the chance to create a swadeshi alternative to Twitter, one of the most popular microblogging platforms in India. Named Tooter (sound familiar?), the social network calls itself the “Swadeshi Andolan 2.0.” In look and feel, it appears to be modelled after Twitter and follows the same mechanics as its source of inspiration.

    Just like one shoots off tweets on Twitter, users of Tooter can post ‘toots’. Users have a profile, can make lists, scroll down a news feed, follow people, and be followed back. Even the colour palette and app icon – a blue conch shell – bear a striking resemblance to Jack Dorsey’s brainchild.

    In its Terms of Service, Tooter stresses that it has been created for 'free speech'. The platform declared it will make the best efforts to ensure that all content moderation decisions and enforcement of terms of service "does not punish users for exercising their god-given right to speak freely."

    Tooter can be used on web browsers, and it has an Android app on the Google Play store, but is missing from the App Store for iOS devices as of now.

    What's more, Tooter is already home to a number of high-profile faces. Prime minister Narendra Modi is already there with a verified account; home minister Amit Shah, Amitabh Bachchan, Virat Kohli, Sadhguru, and the Bharatiya Janata Party are also on the platform. It seems the site has been live since July 2020, but it’s only recently that Tooter went viral on Twitter, the social network it’s hoping to give a run for its money.

    So it should come as no surprise that Tooter’s sudden popularity has catalysed Twitterati to do what they’re the best at – making memes. Some pointed out, tongue-in-cheek, the uncanny similarities between Twitter and Tooter…

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    …Others wondered if certain noisy elements will leave the US-based platform in favour of the Swadeshi alternative:

     

     

     

     

    Though it’s perhaps this person who summed it up best:

     

     

    While it will be interesting to see whether Tooter makes it in the long run, or fizzles out like Kimboh, the desi counterpart to WhatsApp, for the moment it has succeeded in creating a buzz.

  • Httpool APAC names Aatsi Desai Jasani as creative agency partner for Facebook

    Httpool APAC names Aatsi Desai Jasani as creative agency partner for Facebook

    NEW DELHI: Httpool, the largest international partner of major media platforms representing Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and others, has announced the appointment of Aatsi Desai Jasani as Httpool APAC creative agency partner for Facebook. She will report to Httpool APAC co-founder and regional managing director Sunny Nagpal.

    Httpool is Facebook's authorised sales partner in eleven selected markets across Asia and Europe committed to providing a first-rate service to Facebook's existing and new clients in these markets.

    "As Facebook authorized sales partner in 11 European and Asia markets, we are committed to providing extensive cross-functional support to all agencies and their brands, as well as the SMB clients. With a proven track record of driving creative solutions for brands across the APAC region, Aatsi is perfectly suited to deliver growth locally and regionally for those clients navigating the new opportunities with Facebook. Aatsi's expertise within the creative advertising space will help us provide that additional brand marketing service and leverage Facebook in a much extensive way" commented Sunny Nagpal.

    On the appointment, Desai said, "Creative is one of the key drivers for good performance of Facebook campaigns, especially with larger audiences consuming content on mobile devices. At a time when content is growing and people’s attention span shortens, the right creatives for the right target audience can be a decisive factor in the success of a campaign. I am excited to be a part of this amazing and highly energized team at Httpool, and I am looking forward to doing some amazing work for the Facebook family of apps across the APAC region."

    Desai has more than 15 years of experience in branding, advertising, and digital marketing. Before joining Httpool, she headed the Brand Solutions team at Affle – India, MENA & APAC region, leading their creative and technology business.

  • PM Modi, Sonu Sood & Kunal Kamra top Twitter engagement in Oct 2020

    PM Modi, Sonu Sood & Kunal Kamra top Twitter engagement in Oct 2020

    NEW DELHI: Social media analytics firm Twitteet has released its October analytics report. Leading their respective fields in terms of engagement were prime minister Narendra Modi, actor Sonu Sood, and comedian Kunal Kamra, all of whom accounted for a total of over one crore impressions on Twitter in the month of October.

    Key highlights of the first report include the remarkable rise of Tejashwi Yadav, who clocked over 1.24 million engagements in October, overshadowing incumbent Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who managed only 133,879 engagements. PM Narendra Modi topped the overall Indian Twitter engagement rankings with over 7.2 million impressions.

    Sonu Sood, who was dubbed ‘messiah of migrants’ at the peak of the Covid2019 pandemic, topped Twitter engagement among Bollywood stars with a phenomenal 2.4 million engagements. Shah Rukh Khan was at second position with 7.3 lakh engagements. Akshay Kumar with 6.72 lakh engagements was in third place, and Anupam Kher with 4.74 lakh engagements came in fourth. Former Maharashtra CM, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh’s actor-son Riteish Deshmukh was at fifth position with 4.2 lakh engagements. Pooja Hegde was the surprise entrant into the top 10 with 2.51 lakh engagements. 

    Controversial stand-up comic Kunal Kamra topped the list of comedians with 1.1 million engagements. Kamra, a frequent and favourite target of brickbats from certain sections of social media, is active on Twitter where he posts his frank takes on hot-button issues, often laced with his signature pithy humour. Recently, he was in the news for a series of tweets taking aim at the Supreme Court and the bench of judges who granted bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case.

    The IPL was the flavour of the season for cricketers and it comes as no surprise that India captain and expectant father Virat Kohli scored the highest Twitter engagement, with 2.4 million impressions. Suresh Raina was at second position with 1.9 million engagements. Former stars Sachin Tendulkar at third position, Harbhajan Singh at fifth position, and Virendra Sehwag at sixth position, actively engage with fans and followers on Twitter with 1.5 million; 6.8 lakh and 6.3 lakh engagements. Aakash Chopra, now a commentator, is also hugely popular and ranked in the fourth place with over 9.65 lakh engagements on Twitter in October. Perennial favourite Mahendra Singh Dhoni was completely inactive on Twitter in October despite more than 8.1 million followers.

    In the intensively competitive journalists category, News Nation’s Deepak Chaurasia topped Twitter engagement with a whopping 1.88 million engagements. AajTak’s Rohit Sardana was at second position with 1.1 million engagement, followed by Sushant Sinha with 1.05 million impressions. Veteran journalist and India Today’s consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai came in at number eight with 6.6 lakh engagements, and Rana Ayyub was at sixth position with 7.6 lakh engagements.

    In the business leaders category, Anand Mahindra towered over others with over 4 lakh engagements. RPG Groups chief Harsh Goenka was at second position with 2.2 lakh engagements. Chinese mobile phone brands India CEO’s Manu Kumar Jain of Xiaomi and RealMe’s Madhav Sheth were at third and fourth position respectively with 1.5 lakh and 1.1 lakh engagements. Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji with 49,000 engagements was at fifth position, Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw with 41,000 engagements at sixth position, Marico’s Harsh Mariwala with 24,000 engagements is at seventh position, Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma with 19,000 engagements at eight position and chairman of JSPL and former MP, Naveen Jindal with 16,000 engagements is at ninth position. Google’s Global CEO Sundar Pichai with 15,000 engagements is at tenth position.

    This is the first time social media analytics for Twitter engagement across 20 categories have been done on a daily, monthly basis in a transparent manner. The categories whose Twitter engagement have been analysed include politicians (party-wise), journalists, business leaders (founders & investors), sportspersons (cricket and other sports), movie stars (Bollywood and regional), authors, chefs, and comedians.

    Here are the winners from some key categories:

    1.      Politicians – Narendra Modi – 72,15,913 Twitter engagements

    2.      Bollywood – Sonu Sood – 24,36,601 Twitter engagements

    3.      Business Head – Anand Mahindra – 4,08,882 Twitter engagements

    4.      Cricketer – Virat Kohli –  24,65,918 Twitter engagements

    5.      Sports Star (non-cricket) – Vijender Singh –  4,27,006 Twitter engagements

    6.      TV Star – Sidharth Shukla –  3,90,901 Twitter engagements

    7.      Journalist – Deepak Chaurasia –  18,88,720 Twitter engagements

    8.      Founders – Kunal Shah –  60,093 Twitter engagements

    9.      Comedians – Kunal Kamra –  11,46,111 Twitter engagements

    10.  Regional Cinema Star – Mahesh Babu –  7,32,964 Twitter engagements

    11.  Authors – Anand Ranganathan – 5,36,874 Twitter engagements

    12.  Investor – Mohandas Pai – 99,741 Twitter engagements

    Said Twitteet co-founder Sandeep Amar: “Our social monitoring and actionable insights to the leaders across various domains and also to businesses and marketers.  We run daily analysis of all engagements – which are the total of likes and retweets, collate these every month, across categories; and then slice and dice them to mine actionable insights. At some level, a leader's Twitter engagement gives one sense of his connect with his constituents and what are the key issues that matter. We hope to sharpen this data over time and broad base our offerings to other social platforms and geographies.”

  • How brands celebrated #2020WaliDiwali on Twitter

    How brands celebrated #2020WaliDiwali on Twitter

    NEW DELHI: Every festive season, as people prepare to splurge, brands leave no stone unturned to position themselves in the front line of their consumers’ view. Twitter – given its conversational nature, diverse reach, and ability to seamlessly connect brands with the right audiences – sees a number of brands go all out with their communication efforts to keep their consumers engaged and the brand’s presence felt. 

    Brands use Twitter to establish their identity, connect and engage with their audiences, provide customer support services, and even launch new products. Brands become a part of culture on Twitter as consumers on the service are constantly redefining relationships with each other and brands at any given time.

    With #Diwali2020 inspiring an array of emotions in all of us, brands on Twitter struck a chord with consumers over a number of themes; some humane and some fun.  This year, as digital emerged as the go-to medium for both brands and consumers, Twitter gave brands a stronger reason and opportunity to connect with their audiences virtually. Responding to the call, brands from across sectors such as OTT, e-commerce, OEM, etc., rolled out meaningful and engaging content to connect with their audiences on the service. Here’s a look at what brands on Twitter had to say this #2020WaliDiwali: 

    Inspiring people to be kind and generous

    The uncertainties of this year led people to be thankful for their blessings. Subsequently, many instances of people coming together to help each other surfaced this year. In line with this sentiment, several brands encouraged people to be kind, and continue providing their support to those who need it. 

    Amazon India’s #DeliverThanks campaign, which used a Twitter conversation card to prompt audience to express gratitude towards everyone working behind the scenes, Vivo’s #SmileWalaDiya contest, asking people to ‘light up lives by bringing smiles to people’s faces’, Oppo’s video story of two little friends’ Diwali being brightened by their tutor, which was a heartwarming reminder to #BeTheLight in people’s lives, and Zomato’s #JabDilKare, aimed at granting some of people’s most heartfelt wishes through their @FeedingIndia project, were all testimonies to the goodness people carry within.  

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Finding comfort in family and togetherness
    Festivals like Diwali are the best times, and for some, the only times, when they get to come together with their family and friends to have fun, reminisce about the good gone days and make new memories. 

    This year, as many people could not spend Diwali with their families, Coca-Cola nudged its audience to welcome new relationships into their lives with #DiwaliWithCoke. VolkswagenIndia, by #DeliveringHappiness, also tickled the familial sentiments in people with a video that spoke about the importance of family on all occasions – whether its Diwali, or welcoming one’s first car. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Reinstating the spirit of unity

    Among many other things, festivals also bring out the diversity of India. As people gather in celebration, all differences of religion and rituals fade into the lights of festive cheer. 

    OnePlus celebrated Diwali with glimpses of celebrations in different cities across the country shot on the #OnePlus8T5G and showcasing the various colours of India. Morris Garages India’s #SoundsOfIndia, through an audio Tweet, encouraged people to recreate the MG Anthem with an Indian touch.

     

     

     

     

    What’s Diwali without some fun and entertainment? 

    Sure, family and gifts are important for celebrations, but where’s the fun without some entertainment? To top the festivities with some chill time, Netflix India, as part of its #NetflixMatchMaker campaign, served up festive film recommendations for those planning on ending Diwali day with a movie night. Disney+ Hotstar VIP also invited people to celebrate Diwali with the recently released #Laxmii, wishing them prosperity with #YehDiwaliLaxmiiWali. 

     

     

     

     

    Shopping and Gifting: It is the season to shop till you drop 
    No Diwali is complete without at least a little bit of shopping and oh, the gifts that we all look forward to. The festivities get everyone to lighten their pockets and wallets, and brands only add to the momentum with festive offers. While HSBC India and HDFC bank lured customers via attractive discounts, Havells India’s #GharWaliDiwali and SBI Card’s #ApnepanKaEhsaas used Conversation Cards to get people Tweeting about the gifts they were planning to exchange this season. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • #BoycottTanishq trends on Twitter for the second time

    #BoycottTanishq trends on Twitter for the second time

    MUMBAI: After a big controversy over its Ekatvam (oneness) ad about an interfaith marriage, netizens have once again raised calls to 'Boycott Tanishq' on Twitter following the release of a 'no-firecracker Diwali' film by the jewellery brand. The latest ad features actors Neena Gupta, Alaya Furniturewala, Nimrat Kaur and Sayani Gupta.

    In the video, the ladies are seen talking about the importance of being together with family, mithai, food and celebrating the festival of lights without any firecrackers. What did not go down well with netizens is the definition of Diwali by Sayani Gupta. She says in the ad, "I am hoping to be able to meet my mum after really long. Definitely no firecrackers, I don't think anyone should light any firecrackers. But a lot of diyas, lot of laughter hopefully and lot of positivity."

    On this, certain sections of social media criticized the brand for advising Hindus on how to celebrate the festival. BJP national general secretary from Karnataka CT Ravi lashed out at the jewellery brand and said, "Why should anyone advise Hindus how to celebrate our festivals? Companies must focus on selling their products, not lecture us to refrain from bursting crackers. We will light lamps, distribute sweets and burst green crackers. Please join us. You will understand Ekatvam," taking a dig at Tanishq's eponymous campaign.

    Sayani Gupta took to Twitter to react to the controversy and the #BoycottTanishq trend and said, "Just witnessing how a universal issue of Air Pollution (at a terrible level right now especially in Delhi and NCR), getting politicised and bigotted in the name of religion!! Unbelievable!! What have they done to our country! This is what systemic hate does to people. #astounded."

    Amid this widespread backlash, Tanishq withdrew the ad partially. The 50-second commercial has been withdrawn from Twitter and YouTube, but continues to be on the company's Instagram page.

    Last month, the outrage brigade had accused the jewellery brand of promoting what they called 'love jihad' through an ad campaign.

    Tanishq crafted a digital film that depicted the story of a Hindu woman, married into a Muslim family. In the advert, the young woman, expecting her first child, is escorted to the garden by her gracious mother-in-law for a baby shower ceremony. The young woman is surprised to see that the ceremony has been organised as per Hindu rituals. She asks her mother-in-law, "Par yeh rasam toh aapke ghar mein nahi hoti hai na? (But this ceremony is not celebrated at your place, isn't it?)," and is told, "Bitiya ko khush karne ki rasam toh har ghar mein hoti hai na? (The ceremony to make the daughter happy is held in every house, isn't it?)."

     

  • Twitter trends #BoycottAmazon for selling Om printed doormats

    Twitter trends #BoycottAmazon for selling Om printed doormats

    NEW DELHI: Outrage seems to be the flavour of the season. Days after jewellery brand Tanishq was roundly criticised for a Diwali-themed ad campaign that promoted cracker-free celebrations, it’s now e-commerce giant Amazon’s turn to face online brickbats. Twitterverse was abuzz today with calls of #BoycottAmazon after pictures of the e-tailer selling doormats with Om printed on it started doing the rounds.

    A section of social media slammed Amazon for disrespecting Hindu culture by demeaning the auspicious Om symbol in this manner. Others posted screenshots of themselves deleting the e-commerce app from their smartphones. The trend led to people sharing further incriminating content on the retail platform: of various products and apparel like shorts and underwear emblazoned with images of Hindu gods and goddesses.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Yet others pointed out the double standards of those calling out Amazon for purportedly offending Hindu sentiments, alleging they’re the same people who burst crackers bearing images of goddess Laxmi (or Laxmi bomb) and leave the streets littered with firecracker remains after Diwali.

     

     

    For the record, it should be noted that these products are not available in India, but sold on the European and American portals of the site.

    This isn't the first time Amazon has landed itself in hot water by getting on the wrong side of Indian customers. Earlier in January, pictures had surfaced of the e-commerce giant selling bathroom rugs and doormats with photos of Lord Ganesha. In 2019, toilet seat covers and mats with Hindu gods were spotted on the platform.

    In 2017, then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had demanded an unconditional apology from the online retailer for selling Indian flag-themed doormats. She'd threatened to stop issuing visas to Amazon officials if the products were not withdrawn from the site.