Phirey Esho

Maa Aschen Tumi Kothaye - Celebrating the homecoming of daughters of Bengal

Office: India

Client: Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times Group)

Challenge

Our award winning and hugely popular Phirey Esho campaign had established the Times of India as number 1 in Kolkata’s hearts as well as readership. We chose to consolidate the win with a second leg to the campaign. Choosing to create a Durga Pujo campaign, we were keen on grabbing share of mind and hearts during the busiest time of the year for Kolkata, which sees many brands amp up their media budgets. With a largely local campaign, we had to be heard above the racket and cement our space in Kolkatan’s hearts.

Inspiration

In a country of deep rooted patriarchy that excludes women from key roles in all walks of life, where our deities, almost all 33Million+ of them, are all Male, Durga Pujo, is the only major Indian festival that celebrates for five entire days, the homecoming of a daughter to her Baaper Bari (Parental Home). Bengalis are the only people, where fathers lovingly call their daughter (Meye) ‘Ma’ – breaking the boundaries between the Mother on the Pedestal & the Daughter who deserves her own place of respect. Facts that are often overlooked or forgotten.

Idea

This Durga Pujo, we brought back this known and overlooked fact. This year, as Ma Durga came back home, we raised a clarion call to all Kolkata’s daughters, without whom no celebration of Pujo could really be complete, saying Tumi Kothaye? (Where are you?). We captured this heart-rending cry in our campaign call – Ma Ashchen, Tumi Kothaye? (Ma is coming home, where are you?)

Growth

THE CAMPAIGN THAT UNLEASHED A FLOOD OF EMOTIONS

In just 10 days, Times of India was flooded with 8000 letters to beloved daughters, sisters, friends asking them to come back!
Puja Throwback-Pics of friends, brothers, fathers moved Instagram. Hundreds of women wrote to Times of India promising that this time, there would be no more excuses to not go back home for Pujo.
The film reached a stupendous 15.6 million people and gathered around 5.2 million views, within just 4 days! With low budgets, majority of this reach was achieved through organic shares. Regional celebrities reposted the video, social media resounded with personal stories and the now famous call, “Maa Aaschen. Tumi Kothae?”
It didn’t end there, while it was only a local Kolkata campaign, social media shares led to our film getting views from Bengalis and non-Bengalis across 41 different countries!
Several noted publications outside the Times Network picked up and replayed the campaign story.
The power of the response was such that TOI brought 5 women back to Kolkata for Pujas, carrying their stories of homecoming in the paper.

That is how, Times of India gave the daughter her due place at home and truly made home in Kolkatan hearts.

35,000

Physical and digital letters. Limca Book of Records for most handwritten postcards for a single cause