After evaluating various touch points, we zeroed open on the ubiquitous mobile phone, - as it was the only medium that the pilgrims carried on them always.

The second challenge was the attraction hook. Since most pilgrims were from rural areas with low literacy rates, we consciously decided to have voice-based communication. That too in some familiar voice they recognise or at least relate in order to build credibility and trustworthiness.

The third challenge was their whereabouts. How do we target millions of devotees who had arrived from across the country? Solution: location based targeting.

There was a massive word of mouth from those who had received the voice call –they informed their friends and relatives. During the promotion period, visitors to the Colgate stall went up to over 300% of the pre-promotion period. The Colgate stall attracted over 700,000 visitors during the Maha Kumbh Mela promotion.

This campaign opened up a new door to reach out and engage rural consumers from media dark areas, leveraging mobile phones in gatherings like village Fair, Haat and Mela to broadcast location targeted voice messaging. This was the first such kind of innovation ever in India.