According to the Indian Medical Association, more than 1600 doctors have died due to Covid in India. GOVERNMENT FIGURES PUT THE NUMBER AT 162.

During Covid, the morale of all doctors was at an all-time low.

- Doctor sacrifices were going unrecognised

- In some cases, doctors were evicted or denied houses on rent fearing they would bring in the virus

- Some were even beaten up by the patients' relatives for failing to save the patients

- Some anti-allopathy speakers mocked doctors on National Television for their failure to save lives

Our objective was to remind the people of India of the sacrifices doctors had made and rally them to stand by the doctors in their hour of need.

Vicks firmly believes that ‘Everyone deserves the #TouchOfCare.’ It’s the kind of family care one would receive from someone, even when he/she is not family.

The #TouchOfCare campaign that spans three continents has always shed light on the plight of the marginalised in society by sharing extraordinary stories of care. This time, surprisingly, it was the doctors in India who needed care, as their morale was at an all-time low.

Data has shown us that people find an immediate, emotional connection with stories that are authentic and real. Since our idea was ‘Everyone deserves the #TouchOfCare’, it was imperative that our audiences have an emotional connection with our story. Hence, our strategy was to scout for real-life stories that represented extraordinary acts of care. And use the real characters to feature in our film.

Vicks, as India’s oldest cough & cold brand, has partnered with Doctors for over 70 years. This was our time to give the #TouchOfCare to doctors in their hour of need by highlighting their sacrifices to the people of India.

With people spending a significant amount of time on online entertainment, especially during the long lockdowns over the pandemic, we distributed our film purely on social media and through celebrity influencers.

The core asset was a short film, with a media strategy centered around social media, PR and influencer outreach. With our #TouchOfCare fund, we are now helping Dr Dnyaneshwar Bhosale’s wife build a hospital in his memory. The beds and wards in the hospital will be named after other fallen doctors.

At the point of submission, the land has been purchased and the construction of the hospital will begin soon.

• The Indian Medical Association (IMA) shared the film, which meant it reached many in the doctor community, lifting their spirits once again

• 65+ million views overall, hitting 30 million views in just under 10 days of its launch

• Earned PR worth INR 6.2 crores (approximately US$842,007)

• Drove 2 points gain in share in July 2021, which is the highest ever gain in the past 12 months

• Bollywood A-listers and politicians like Vidya Balan, R Madhavan, Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Shashi Tharoor shared the film to show their appreciation towards doctors

• Under the Suraksha initiative, P&G contributed 1million vaccination doses for 500,000 citizens to support India’s fight against Covid-19.

• Featured in local and industry media like NDTV, CNBC, Business Insider, Best Media Info, Campaign Asia