By A Correspondent

Given the ongoing downturn in the economy, Mullen Lintas has launched a campaign with the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), to “encourage consumers to start spending and to create liquidity in the market, and help boost the country’s economy”. The message will be amplified via INS-affiliated newspapers.

Commenting on the initiative, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO & Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “There’s a training inside Lintas to think scale and to think mass. We involve ourselves with brands yes, with marketing yes, but beyond that our embrace is towards our culture and our economy. Lintas cannot ignore what’s happening to demand and to consumerism as a fallout of the Covid Lockdown. Too much of our work depends on consumer sentiment and to reigniting consumer sentiment becomes not just necessary to our work and survival but it’s a calling, it’s a duty. Very early we recognised that this turn of the cycle will not revive on its own and the wheel of the country’s economy will need everyone to push. Spending with confidence is probably the only people-linked initiative that can bring about this momentum, and so we stuck our shoulder to the task and hope that the country gives it a heave too.”

IPG Mediabrands forged this collaboration with Indian Newspaper Society to provide the necessary reach. Added Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands: “This pandemic has proved that if we can survive together, we can revive together. It is this collective that can help in crafting the ‘India Revival’ story. The series of unlockdowns announced by the government via print media is playing its part to spread the word. Consumers are closely linked to print media and the campaign message amplification is best suited for a message such as this. The campaign by Mullen Lintas, with a massive reach supported by INS, is a call to spend in order to save.”

Said Shailesh Gupta, President, Indian Newspaper Society: “Newspapers are the lifeline of the people and have been responsible to bring about national upheavals. Even though a lot of people migrated to online versions, the readership remained like a rock. It plays a strong connection with the people joining them with the mainstream and bringing them upto speed. A reach such as this can be harnessed for a national initiative like Rupaiyyah Hai Pahiya and help to turn the wheels of the economy. INS proudly supports this campaign.”

Speaking about the idea for the campaign, Azazul Haque and Garima Khandelwal, Chief Creative Officers, Mullen Lintas added: “We’re happy and proud to have been able to do this campaign for the Nation. Since consumer confidence and discretionary spending is down, our attempt has been to humbly nudge the consumer to not hold back and that Every Rupee Spent is a Rupee Earned for the Nation. That’s how the idea “Rupaiah Hai Pahiya’ was born to encourage consumers to keep the wheels of the economy turning.”