Safety First

No one likes to be robbed. Yet, despite increasing instances of burglaries, just about 7% of Indians own a home locker and 52% continue to store their valuables in cupboards and wardrobes, which are vulnerable to break-ins. The findings, part of Godrej Security Solutions’ recent study, highlight a paradoxical situation. And the company decided to tackle this with a new light-hearted and witty ad campaign.

“The brief of the TVC was a simple concept that Godrej Home Lockers are at least 10x stronger than a cupboard. We want people to take charge of their own security and invest in a locker that is strong and can ensure security of valuables at home,” says Mehernosh Pithawalla, vice president and global head – marketing, sales and innovation, Godrej Security Solutions.

Called Bilkul Safe Hai, the one-minute long ad film begins with a couple walking up the stairway of their building. They are bickering about why the wife never wears her gold jewellery and stores it in the cupboard. “Ande dete hai kya” (Do they lay eggs?) says the husband, taking a jibe at her. Before she can deliver a befitting response, a commotion catches their attention. Apparently, robbers broke into the apartment of Shridhar (Ayushmann Khurrana) when he was away. Expressing mock sympathy, the couple walks up to him and says ‘bohot bura hua’. But the couple’s faces fall when Shridhar says that as the thieves were unable to break into the locker placed inside the cupboard, they rushed into the couple’s house and looted them instead!

“Like all of us, robbers too have deadlines. Within minutes, they need to get the job done before a suspecting neighbour or security guard shows up. So it is easier to rob a home that doesn’t have the locker,” says Priya Pardiwalla, VP & ECD, Wunderman Thompson, Mumbai, explaining the idea behind the campaign.

Behind the euphemism and sarcastic humour, the ad offers a deeper take on human behavior, that we do not take proactive steps towards security until the issue affects someone who is close to us or lives in close proximity. “It dispels the myth that ‘I’ will never be the victim of theft,” adds Pithawalla. And the star factor of Khurrana, who only endorses brands that he believes in, makes the ad all the more effective. Or, in this context, a “safe and secure” fit!