Situation: Financial health comes from good mental health which and music helps create calm and negates performance-inhibiting feelings like fear and fatigue. Classical Indian music is a very specialized genre which doesn’t appeal to all, especially the youth. How do we use that to build mental wellness?

Brief: Research suggested a positive correlation between music and mental health. Music can stimulate the release of endorphins. Soothing melodies & gentle rhythms can help relax the body and decrease levels of cortisol – the stress hormone. We wanted a soulful engagement led property that acts as a starting point for conversations to creating awareness on mental health.

Objective: Creating a unique experience for our Internationalist customers & taking it to all music enthusiasts.Something to engage with our customers on an emotional level, rather than on a functional level. Enhance the scale of the property to make it more accessible and spread awareness.

Idea was led-by music content, an immersive experience that sought to bring together sound therapy and Indian classical music with Sitar as a transformational tool to impact mental health in a positive way.

HSBC has always believed that physical health, mental wellness, and financial fitness are connected. And been a strong advocate for mental wellness initiatives for staff globally.

The association was completely brainstormed by the internal teams–carefully planned on the best way to take the talent of a celeb Sitarist beyond Instagram to an offline mode where people could experience a transformative evening of sound alchemy and healing.

Through the soothing symphonies of the sitar, the initiative orchestrated a musical momentum to the ongoing conversations around mental health. This helped us engage in-person with our customers, reiterating our brand purpose of opening up a world of opportunity, leading on the brand perception a socially responsible brand.

While the conversations around mental health have increased in the recent years, a lot is still to be done in terms of combating the ill effects of mental health. Statistics show that 1 in every 5 individuals in the country suffers from some form of mental health illness.

We set out to create a unique experience for our customers by bringing Sitar to their city in a never-experienced-before event. We chose to explore the rich treasure of Indian music as a tool to bring about a transformation to enhance mental health.

For HSBC, a key brand value – We take responsibility linked to this cause. People who are physically fit are more likely to have above-average mental health and better financial fitness. As mental health improves, so does the percentage of people who are physically and financially fit. And people with better financial fitness have better physical fitness.

Impressions – 38 Mn || Total Reach –36 Mn + 18 Mn Artist Content Reach || Total Engagement -3.3 Mn || Engagement Rate – Avg 8% (2x higher than usual) || Total views – 14.6 Mn

The show across cities helped build visibility and affinity.

He played the HSBC sonic audio on Sitar to build recall. Artist mentions were included in the show about how HSBC as a brand is closely linked to taking mental health awareness and conversations to make a real difference.

He talked to the audience about his Mental Health journey & how he came over it and the emotions experienced – a great starting point for conversations.

The attendees’ feedback was how the music helped them on their worst days and brought calm. Most people were pleasantly surprised that Sitar could be fun and how it was a refreshing experience that their kids were charmed too.