"When did Mumbai become Delhi?" asks Mumbai Mirror

The English daily from the BCCL group sparks a city war with its new campaign on road safety.

Think of all the times we have cursed someone while driving, or felt scared for our lives while crossing the streets. Now, keeping that in mind, BCCL's English daily, Mumbai Mirror has come out with a campaign to rouse Mumbaikars to remind them of common driving etiquettes.

"It was something we used to take pride in, you know. About our streets being safer, cars following traffic rules, giving way for cyclists, rickshaws and cabs not refusing any passengers nor charging them a bomb. But it has become really bad now, which is what our editorial desk noticed. It started as an editorial campaign, which we decided to elevate to a full-fledged marketing campaign," explains Rahul Kansal, executive director, BCCL.

"When did Mumbai become Delhi?" asks Mumbai Mirror

While one or two stories triggered the idea for the campaign, it was the need to change people's behavior that made it happen. The brief for Taproot was to remind the people of Mumbai that they weren't always like this, so why change into something not entirely likeable, now?

Created by Taproot India, the first print ad under the 'Driving Me Crazy' campaign was published recently in the newspaper with the headline 'When did Mumbai become Delhi'. Though at first glance it may remind one of the security and safety aspect of the two cities at a comparative level, further reading reveals that it is in fact talking about the manner in which people drive their cars nowadays. The print copy enumerates the various ways driving has become a challenge, with cars jumping signals and lanes, 'honking like a maniac', 'Swearing in front of family', or even 'fist fights'.

"The on-road behavior has gone to the dogs here. People who are walking think the drivers are idiots, the drivers think people on foot are idiots. But the truth is we walk and we drive as well. We can't just think selfishly about what is great for us," explains Santosh Padhi (Paddy), Taproot India's chief creative officer and co-founder.

According to Paddy there are some things you want a city to be known for, and some things which you don't want. While Bangalore's weather or greenery is something everyone remembers, sadly enough Delhi's traffic and road rage is also something people do not forget in a hurry. But the intention was never to offend the people of Delhi.

"There is something bad about all of us. We can't point fingers. But we realized in India, where you are so used to comparisons from your school days, that only when you do that, do you get the point across. Look at the favourite World Cup teams. We are rooting for the ones who are doing better than the others. Companies say we are at number one, because the number two is way behind. The Indian psyche understands this best," feels Paddy.

According to Paddy, Mumbai Mirror's campaigning style is either to start with a bang or start slow, and depending upon the results, hike up the buzz. He feels this is of the second sort, where a lot more will be done soon on television, radio, outdoor and digital for the full impact.

The daily has taken the help of Times of India to spread the message across. A second print ad was released closely after the first one, which poked fun at the way everyone pretends to follow traffic rules, but in reality do not. Supporting the initiative, the editorial content in Mumbai Mirror now includes an increased coverage of traffic related issues, including initiatives where citizens are asked to follow certain traffic etiquettes for better driving experience.

Incidentally, restaurant-reviewing website Zomato.com recently got a lot of flack from netizens when it compared Delhi and Bangalore in a quirky campaign. The brand wanted to invite job applications from Bengaluru to its headquarters in Delhi. However, after facing the wrath of digitally savvy gen Y, the brand withdrew the campaign and offered an apology as well.

Recall that, Mumbai Mirror's two campaigns previously had also been the talk of the town at the time of its release. While in 2011 the brand came out with the 'I am Mumbai' campaign, in 2014 it employed reverse psychology with the 'I am Mumbai (Hated by some, thankfully)' campaign. The current campaign however, moves away from brand building and takes up a social issue much like HT's Unclog or No TV Day and TOI's Teach India and Lead India movements.

But does it impress, like the other campaigns listed above?

Seems like the start to the campaign failed to impress Swapan Seth, CEO, Equus Red Cell. According to Seth, the ad was "poorly written and strategically scattered".

But digital influencer, Tinu Cherian Abraham, seems to be quite hopeful about the domino effect of the campaign. According to Abraham, "Ad campaigns that are whacky and cheeky always help and grab more attention. I am looking forward for the 'counter campaign' from Delhi Mirror."

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