Campaign: Jaago Re
Brand: Tata Tea
Agency: Lowe Lintas, Bangalore
Why the campaign rocks:
Advertising legend George Lois famously said, “Great advertising can make people enthusiastic supporters of your brand, and it can get them to move mountains.” No brand has moved mountains in my time as much as Tata Tea’s Jaago Re.
Equating the product’s literal essence: ‘caffeine wakes people up’ to a figurative shake-up, the brand took the problem of low voter turnout among youth (and possibly low saliency for the brand in that demographic too) head on. With the first campaign, it encouraged the youth to become an active part of social change by registering to vote.
The brand did not just stop at raising awareness but also became an enabler of change. It established jaagore. com — an initiative that enabled youngsters without a voter ID to register as a voter.
As I write this, the platform continues to exist, with a focus on climate change. In a world where there is so much talk about brand purpose, Tata Tea has my respect for creating a stellar example of impactful advertising.