#StayHomeStaySafe

WiTH THE SUPPORT OF BOLLYWOOD LEADING LIGHTS AND DHARAVI RAP LUMINARIES, WEBER SHANDWICK INDIA AND THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HELPED LAUNCH A MOVEMENT TO CHAMPION SOCIAL DISTANCING IN ASIA’S DENSEST SLUMS – COMPLETE WITH ITS OWN TRILINGUAL ANTHEM.

The Challenge

Urban areas in India like Mumbai’s Dharavi represent some of the largest and most densely-populated slums in Asia. In such slums, standard social distancing strategies are effectively impossible. The only way to limit the spread of COVID-19 is for residents to stay home and stay isolated. But, how to effectively convey that message in a local culture with multiple dominant languages, high rates of illiteracy, and widespread fear of authorities?

The Solution

Working with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Indian hip hop and arts collectives, and Bollywood celebrities, Weber Shandwick India cultivated a movement to encourage social distancing in India’s densely-populated urban neighbourhoods: #StayHomeStaySafe. The centrepiece of the campaign? The #StayHomeStaySafe anthem, spanning raps across three languages and some of Bollywood’s brightest stars.

The #StayHomeStaySafe Anthem

Weber Shandwick collaborated with the local youth of Dharavi to create a rap anthem that rallied Indians to do their bit to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country’s densely populated areas. Performed in the most commonly spoken languages of the slums (Hindi, Marathi and Tamil), the music video features Bollywood celebrities lip syncing some of its hard hitting lines. The #stayhomestaysafe message was further bolstered by influencers, posters and animation.

Impact

A movement spanning all of India

The #StayHomeStaySafe was viewed over a million times within a day of launch. The #StayHomeStaySafe movement was championed and shared by over 100 NGOs throughout India and featured on the government's online portals in 26 states.