Balloons filled with semen bounce off her head.

The yell from the balcony is, "Bura na maano, Holi hai. (Don’t feel bad, it’s Holi after all!)"

Disguised by a burst of flaming red, purple fingers wrap around her breast.

The drunken voice amidst the crowd says, "Bura na maano, Holi hai."

Mucky green water sprays onto the insides of her soaked thighs.

The whisper behind the grin exclaims, "Bura na maano, Holi hai."

Globally, the festival of Holi is romanticised as a vibrant celebration where people unite in a colourful riot. But the festivities often cross the lines of consent, as men use the occasion to give themselves the license to touch, grope and molest women, disguised by colour and gaiety.

What’s more, the threat doesn’t always come from strangers. While playing Holi with the extended family is considered a safe option, that is often not the case. And because the perpetrators are men within the family, social stigma ensures it never gets talked about, let alone reported.

While the threat posed by mobs of men, often under the influence of alcohol, lurks, India has chosen to look the other way. Ignoring what has increasingly become an annual social menace.

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. Thereby revealing a side of the festival they’d never imagined.

From 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 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 30 top 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.

On the day of the festival, the conversation shifted from #HappyHoli to #HoliNotHooliganism within 30 minutes with 70 million social media impressions.

From News show Hosts and Bollywood Actors to social influencers and activists, #HoliNotHooliganism triggered a conversation that was discussed across local, regional, national and even international media.

Business Impact:

The PR generated for Reliance General Insurance was over USD 1.5 million.

Positive sentiment for the brand rose by 43.5%, the highest the brand had ever had. The brand’s share of voice also grew by 41% as it rose from No. 5 to No. 2 on brand imagery scores. (Source: Meltwater Report)

Long-term Impact:

The most significant result however, was that #HoliNotHooliganism compelled the Indian Police Service to enforce unprecedented security throughout the festivities. As a result, Holi related crimes against women dropped by 27.5% in India’s National Capital, Delhi [Source: Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), New Delhi.]

Agency research revealed Indian women were wary and had even stopped playing Holi out of fear of being harassed. Probing with police indicated a spurt in harassment and molestation cases during the festival. What was more worrying was most women refused to file a complaint because the perpetrators were often friends and family.

Our target audience comprised men, aged between 18 and 28, who are active on social media. They had the potential of being the catalysts of the change we needed.

Interactive posters in colleges ensured we reached students from India’s top colleges. Based on our audience’s online behaviour, we were part of specific Facebook groups, Twitter handles and websites. Whatsapp became an integral part of the mix as it is the primary medium for sharing wishes on most Indian festivals.

All communication led to a common hashtag on Twitter which is where topical conversations are most passionately discussed.

As one of India’s largest insurers, Reliance General Insurance has stood for the safety of those it insures. Indian women buying insurance is set to rise 4 times in the next ten years. (Source: AXA research) Recognising this spurt the company decided to focus on women’s safety.

Every day 848 Indian women are harassed, raped and killed in India. This number spikes during festivals, the most significant of which happens during Holi, India’s festival of colour.

Holi is celebrated with great zeal by smearing coloured powder on one another. However, men often use the festivities as an excuse to harass women by groping them and even targeting their genital parts. As a result, thousands of women have stopped participating in the festival.

Our brief was to draw attention to this reality. Especially because neither the media nor society at large, had consciously addressed this aspect of what is considered to be a day of carefree celebrations.

The objective of this campaign was to make the country realize and acknowledge what was happening under the guise of Holi festivities. And trigger a change of awareness and attitude, so women could feel safe enough to enjoy Holi once more.