MUMBAI: With Raksha Bandhan round the corner, Shoppers Stop, India’s premier retailer through its latest campaign essays the true essence of the festival dedicated towards including our house help and caretakers into the family and celebrations.
A strong network of women working towards empowering each other is good for society as a whole. With urbanisation, nuclear families, and growing women workforce in India, both parents are working and staying out of the house for long hours. This has led to the rising dependency on the support staff to take care of and fulfill the needs of the child back at home.
Shoppers Stop’s latest campaign throws light on one such instance from everyday routine which holds true to the meaning of “Raksha” and could be celebrated aptly on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
“Celebrating Sisterhood” campaign pays a tribute to all the caretakers’ who take utmost care of the kids at home and ensure their safety, while their parents are away. The digital film with an emotional tone opens with the preparation of Raksha Badhan festival by displaying the thali with a diya, rice, roli-chandan, and a big rakhi. The film celebrates the strong bond of trust, solidarity, and care among the women in the house. The intricate details of an inter-personal relationship and camaraderie are aesthetically highlighted in the film. The little girl ties the rakhi on her caretaker’s wrist acknowledging the love and care given by her, just like a brother does for his sister.
Speaking on the campaign, customer care associate, chief of marketing & customer officer Uma Talreja said, “Traditions have taken on new meanings with the onslaught of social media. They have also become more inclusive and participative and are celebrated uniquely by individuals that find their own meanings in the tradition. Women lead celebrations in India, the campaign captures the spirit of women in different roles and includes the extended support system that helps women move ahead at home and careers both.”
As part of the ongoing effort to promote sustainable fashion, the ‘Celebrating Sisterhood’ campaign closes with the message to spread love and bring a smile to someone else by giving away their gently used clothes. The pre-used clothes collected will be contributed to NGO Goonj for its work with village communities. Goonj sends wearable clothes to underprivileged families to re-wear and its sorts out unwearable cotton/semi cotton fabrics for recycling it into reusable cloth sanitary pads and other articles like patchwork quilts and bags for rural communities. The making of these products also provides a livelihood to hundreds of women in rural communities. Shoppers Stop will also be making a monetary contribution to support Goonj’s work on the collected sarees for recycling.
The week-long campaign “Celebrating Sisterhood” has been rolled out across Shoppers Stop’s social media assets, Youtube channel, and multiple digital platforms from August 8 to August 15, 2019.
