In a move that blended audacity with marketing savvy, Rahul Krishnan, co-founder of BoldCare, shared his credit card number, complete with expiration date and CVV, on X (formerly Twitter) on September 2, urging users to spend using it. The caveat: the order amount should not exceed Rs 1,000 and to obtain an OTP, eager participants had to reply directly to Krishnan’s tweet. This was part of the company’s “Sextember” campaign—with the month dedicated to elevating discussions around men’s sexual wellness.
“Our marketing team was adamant that we needed something bold—something that would cut through the clutter and crazy enough to raise awareness about men’s sexual health in a light-hearted, yet targeted way,” says Krishnan.
What followed was nothing short of digital pandemonium. Transactions spanned Swiggy, Grofers, Flipkart and even Facebook Ads. “Within just 10 minutes, it was clear this campaign was going to blow up. I was inundated with 1,500 OTP requests in the first hour alone. The OTPs had to be shared immediately and since my number was linked to the card and time was of the essence, I was only copy-pasting the OTPs from my account to keep things running smoothly,” Krishnan recounts.
By the time the clock struck midnight—six hours post-launch—the campaign had amassed over 5,000 requests and counting. Krishnan claims he was forced to pull the plug when his card was blocked. Despite the technological chaos, he proudly notes that he received a staggering 15,000 OTPs before the madness subsided.
Insiders say that this advertising escapade cost the company a paltry `3 lakh, but the return was humongous — the campaign racked up 5.4 million views, with over 15,000 likes and 1,900 reposts. Amidst the frenzy, a user named Adarsh Srivastava took to X to thank Krishnan for the unexpected treat: “Thanks Rahul Bhai for the paneer biryani… (As a) return gift, will order BoldCare.”
Okay so the first job was done — that of creating some noise around the brand — but will it sustain? Krishnan notes that since sexual health is a sensitive topic, the company wants to “always do something out of the box to educate and inform customers”. He notes, “When every brand is competing for the consumer’s attention, it’s important to realise that internet-first ideas are the best way to create brand recall and yield higher ROI in the long run.”
Not everyone agrees. Suchana Sarkar, CBO, Makani Creatives, says the initiative lacked sophistication. “First, the tweet came from the handle of a co-founder and not the brand. Even though BoldCare was the first to comment to set the ‘rules’, in my view, whether the engagement led to an uptick on brand awareness and consideration is doubtful.”
Second, she notes that even though the campaign fell under the brand’s ‘Sextember’ initiative, the online chatter about free biryani and Amazon orders completely hijacked any conversation regarding the cause. Third, she says not tying this initiative back to the brand and business was an opportunity missed.
For her part, Ambika Sharma, founder & chief strategist of Pulp Strategy, points out that in taboo industries, disruption is often more about visibility than immediate conversion. “The real goal is to break through the noise, and in that sense, Bold Care’s approach works,” she says.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
