Holi imagery has always been about joyous, free-spirited celebrations. So, we took three typically festive pictures and invited our audiences to strip the colour off them, using their smartphones. Thereby revealing a side of the festival they’d never imagined.

From interactive posters in colleges and disguised Holi greetings on WhatsApp, to motion sensor activated banners, innovative social media posts and dynamic tweets, it was audience interaction with a device that revealed the message. And induced an aha moment that was not only memorable but also inherently shareable.

#HoliNotHooliganism released four days before the festival of Holi in 2018, reached a crescendo. The approach was to become part of the fervour that built up as the day approached. And let the message shock revellers just in time. This made it not only relevant and memorable but also gave the communication enough time to have a bearing on how Holi was celebrated this year.

Interactive posters in India’s top 25 colleges ensured we reached the cream of the country’s student community. The presence across all digital and social platforms was based on the online habits of our audience.

Motion sensor activated blow banners (display) across 10 websites, innovative Facebook posts (Press and Hold), Twitter GIFs and Whatsapp Greetings (3500 different groups) went live around the same time. Every piece of communication was triggered via audience interaction.

Conversations shifted from #HappyHoli to #HoliNotHooliganism within 30 minutes with 70 million social media impressions.

The cause was picked up by news show hosts, Bollywood stars, activists and State Police Departments.

Before long, the subject was being written about in regional and national dailies. It was also a topic of discussion on prime-time news in India and internationally. Resulting in earned PR exceeding USD 1.5 million.

The groundswell compelled the Police Service to take action and unprecedented security was enforced throughout the festivities. This resulted in Holi related crimes against women dropping by 27.5% in India’s National Capital, Delhi [Source: Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), New Delhi.]

Despite the embargo on the usage of traditional media, positive sentiment for the brand rose by 43.5%. Brand share of voice grew by 41% and the brand rose from No. 5 to No. 2 on brand imagery scores (Source: Meltwater Report).