Situation

With a median age of 28 and 512 million people under 21 years of age – a number more than the population of most nations – India is seeing its influence across the world, driven by this young population. While the youth continues to play a pivotal role in the growth of the nation, it also determines the future success of print media, an older medium. And print readership amongst this cohort is on a decline (Source: Indian Readership Survey data).

Brief

The Times of India (TOI), India’s largest English news daily, wanted to engage the Indian youth and drive change.

Objectives

• Engage the youth segment of potential readers as well as their influencers – parents, teachers, and coaches.

• Strengthen TOI’s connect with both readers as well as with key decision makers in the Government.

#Unstoppable21

The music video is based on the anthem that TOI rewrote for the youth was a tool TOI wanted to experiment with to reach audiences who are not regularly engaging with the print ecosystem.

The anthem was based on the original song of hope “We Shall Overcome” which had also inspired an Indian version – “Hum Honge Kamyaab”- (we shall overcome). TOI and National award-winning music director Shantanu Moitra created a modern take on this anthem “Hum Ho Rahe Kamyaab” (we are succeeding) to echo the voice of youth.

The film featured 10 accomplished musicians <21 years from across India who were invited to create this masterpiece across Mumbai’s iconic locations. The cast included vocalists ranging from classical to folk, violinist, flutist, percussionist.

The film showcases success stories of the 21 winners of #Unstoppable21 initiative who were recognised by TOI for their successes at a global level across fields.

Target Audience- The campaign was strategically aimed at the youth of India, with the hunt particularly seeking < 21 years old and their decision-makers- parents, guardians, and teachers.

Media Planning- The music anthem was to be populated where youth are most present in terms of media share- in the digital environment. YouTube, and Meta were chosen as the primary platforms for the amplification, followed by supporting platforms- X and Spotify. Print Ads and Social Media Accounts of the initiative also carried the anthem in bold and attractive creatives.

Approach- For the development of the anthem, nationally renowned music composer Shantanu Moitra was roped in. To get the right talent for the music video, we started our hunt by getting in touch with several musical academies, like SAPA, and Calcutta Music School, others. The challenge was to get representation from all corners of India, and the range of its culture.

Implementation- Artists from across India aged 7-21 years contributed to the anthem, be it a singer from Mizoram, folk singers from Rajasthan, and a renowned flutist from West Bengal. Under Shantanu Moitra’ guidance, the track was shot in Mumbai’s iconic locations. It has sounds from mridangam to electric guitar and vocal representation from all of India.

Media Channels and Integration- For the digital-first generation, the anthem was launched on YouTube, Meta, Spotify, and X. Print ads were released in all editions of TOI. Editorial articles detailed the thought and success of the anthem. Social Media was flooded with powerful visuals from the anthem.

Timeline- To leverage nationalistic spirit, #Unstoppable21 was launched in print on August 15, India’s Independence Day. Anthem was launched during the Felicitation Ceremony for the hunt on October 16 by the Education Minister of India.

Scale- Anthem was amplified nationally, with top 8 metro cities as key-markets.

• 21 inspiring stories that moved the audiences and the new anthem received great traction, both organically and inorganically.

• Anthem Video–‘Hum Ho Rahe Kamyaab’, achieved 100million views in just 2 weeks, of which 50% are organic. 60% video views for the 1min anthem on YouTube are from 18-34 age group.

• Anthem was adopted with appreciation and applause across schools in India.

• Earned PR – Campaign received earned PR coverage worth approximately INR 40Million, with competing media houses choosing to celebrate the cause and publishing about the campaign.

• Social Metrics

o Reach – 106Mn users

o Engagement – 3.3Mn

o Video Views – 157Mn

o 89% viewers watched the whole video on YouTube and social media – crossing the industry standard of 45 seconds.

The campaign was also reposted by senior Government leaders, such as Chief Ministers of Indian states and India’s Union Minister for Education.