On an overcast day, a player like Benetton, a sport like Cricket and a cultural field like India came together on Independence Day, to play out ‘One Faith’.

Amongst constant pressure to ensure products don’t escape eyeballs in advertising TVCs, Benetton had absolutely no mention of their clothing line or the stores, instead, they showcased complete humanness through a unique narrative.

A refreshing take on a brand film, with a thoughtful message and an honest delivery, UCB outdid itself.

Opening an avenue:
Guess, it’s no longer about just clutter-breaking content, but about playing to the emotions of the crowd and providing them with hope and a positive expectation on issues that affect them the most, and summing up that hope for them in the most relevant ways.
With stylized visuals and a narrative that connects with audiences all over the world, the campaign had people cheering on the message of communal harmony.

Shifting Perspectives:
Released on 15th August, the campaign was a different kind of Independence Day film, and that in itself was welcoming. It was about cohesive coexistence, the community, celebration and about Cricket – the one religion that unites us all and the one faith that triumphs. The heartwarming film gently shows us a mirror, a mirror that gives a reality check.

The simple yet intense storytelling harnesses cricket for its fostered unity to shift the perspective. Starting with a radio announcement of tight security on the occasion of Independence Day, the video later reveals a beautiful depiction of how the use of any medium or tools (sticks, bricks & bottles) is entirely in our hands. Bricks and bats that could be used for violence are being used for celebration and unity – To play Cricket.

The Turning point:
The film highlights a playful element with an adrenaline touch. But, most importantly, it leads you on to a nail biting moment, the turning point itself and the relieving discovery.

“The fact that the entire film has just one dialogue in the beginning – ‘CHAL’ (Let’s go) and then takes the audiences on an emotional ride without using words, makes it interesting. Also, the first and the last frames of the film are similar in composition. The overcast and interesting colour gradient, add to the emotional depth and to the intensity of our hope and realization.” explains Karan Shetty, Director of the film.

The Impact:
With the #UnitedByPlay hashtag trending on the no. 1 spot in India on Twitter on Independence Day and the video going ‘viral’ in just 10 hours, it was clear that the brand’s message tugged at many heartstrings.

Having reached 6 million twitter users in a day, and after receiving more than 26,000 Facebook reactions, 7000 shares and 8 Lakh views and the video closing in a million views in less than 10 days, United Colors of Benetton’s ‘One Faith’ campaign was an impactful brand film. UCB even gathered 20 million impressions on Twitter. The film was covered by ‘Campaigns Of The World’, ‘Campaign Brief Asia’, ‘Ads Of The World’, ‘Best Ads on TV’ and many more.

The Team Players:
Incidentally, the campaign also brought together three storytellers – Benetton, Fingerprint Films and TTT, together in one faith; to show what believing in and fostering a positive message can do.

Director: Karan B. Shetty
Production Company: Fingerprint Films
Producer: Madhukar Kotian, Vijay Carvalho
Writer: Kumail Changezi
Agency: TTT, Mumbai, India.

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