World Stroke Day – 29th October, 2014

On the onset of World Stroke Day, we’re introducing the below concept in the form of a campaign to generate public awareness on the criticalness of stroke and the consequences that arise from ignorance and lack of treatment on it.

The word stroke has two meanings pertinent to the health and cricketing angles, where one is good and one is bad. We focus on this ambivalence in our campaign through the involvement of Harsha Bhoge, a prominent cricket commentator of global renown in our campaign, where he draws parallels between cricket and the stroke through the latter’s double meaning. The campaign culminates with an encouraging tone for our consumers to ACT FAST.

Harsha Bhogle is a cricket commentator of utmost renown across the globe. Using the term ‘stroke’ we make focus on the pun that refers to both cricketing and health terms. To promote this, we release short videos corresponding to both parts of the campaign.

1.      Harsha Bhogle Main – Message Video
2.      Viral Video Teasers (portions that can be used individually or with the main message video)
3.      Social Media Activity
4.      On-Ground Culmination – Chat Show

-          This message can be used the following manner
            a)      Independently – the message is conveyed in video form by itself
            b)     In conjunction with the viral video teasers – we follow this main message with each of the individual teaser videos             (point 2)
            c)      In parts – we divide the video and release it in parts over social media
            d)     Interlude messages – these statements can be placed between the teasers and the main message as an                         interlude)
-          Interlude messages
           a)      Sometimes, a stroke can change the course of a game game
           b)     Learning the difference between a good and bad stroke is the biggest difference
           c)      Sometimes, stroke can play the person
           d)     Not every stroke that you see is a good one
           e)      Some strokes stay with the mind. In a bad way.
           f)       Some strokes remain in our memories. Some remain with our body too.
-          Main Message
           “You’ve probably heard me talk on the gentlemen’s game and commentate during matches countless times. Just like you, I take great pride and joy in seeing some delightful innings where elegant looking strokes are on full display. While we always remember a beautiful stroke that crosses the boundary line or a powerful on that sails over it, a bad stroke can often leave behind a lot of criticism due to the poor choice of making it. It can disrupt the momentum of the game and even cause harm to the innings itself depending on the form of the batsman. Cricket is such a game. One bad stroke can be truly devastating at times.
           In India, we love cricket just as much as we love our lives. But sometimes, life sends us some bouncers that can leave us retired hurt. One such issue is the problem of stroke. Also called as Cardiovascular Accident, stroke is caused when blood flow to the brain is either reduced by blockage or increased by hemorrhaging – what we also call as internal bleeding. Depending on which part of the brain is affected, that side of the body can even become paralyzed. If the issue is serious and isn’t treated, it can even result in the death of a person.
           Life is like a beautiful innings of cricket, where every moment is filled with action. So let us ensure that we don’t miss out on any of it due to stroke. Come, join me as we take a pledge to stitch together a wonderful innings and target a century of dreams. Take a stand against Stroke today and play the game of life in the right spirit, with the right masterstrokes!”

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-          We initiate the campaign with a series of viral videos to promote the campaign
-          We release 30 second teasers where we pick out different people in daily lives and show them playacting to resemble stroke victims
-          They shall have one hands tied behind their back as they go about their daily proceedings
-          We can show a discussion on the theme of ‘strokes’ through these people where participants
-          For example:
           a)      Two traffic policemen discussing stroke while doing their duty (one of which has his left hand tied behind his back)
           b)     A group of 4 college students in a train discussing the ICC Champion’s League T20 (where two of them have one hand tied behind their backs and their lips are slanted downwards like a stroke victim)
-          We have more such teasers released one by one, starting from the 1st October to 8th October in a frequency of one every alternate day
-          These videos have a still in the end, where people are encouraged to visit the campaign social media page to see the remainder portion
-          When they do visit the social media pages, the people see the complete version of the video including the second half contain Harsha Bhogle
-          Here, Harsha Bhogle takes them on the health angle, changing the context from the cricketing stroke to the health issue of stroke – making them aware of how ‘some strokes can be good, while some are really bad’
-          He then informs them about World Stroke Day through the main message video (in point 1)
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3.     Social Media Activity

-          We use social media to release the teasers
-          We route the teaser viewers to visit the campaign page on Facebook where they can see the remaining portions
-          For everyone who views the entire video, we ask them to take part in the pledge against stroke by sharing the video
-          Based on the number of shares, we do a traction count to list the number of people who’ve pledged to unite against stroke
-          For each video share, we gift people with some tokens/vouchers/merchandise
-          We also invite people who suffer from stroke to come tell us their stories and experiences on the social media page
-          On World Stroke Day, we send all video sharers a branded e-certificate and thank them for their participation
-          We pick the most inspiring stories of stroke victims and choose 5 people among them to come, meet Harsha Bhogle in a chat show
-          This chat show is then broadcasted on social media

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-          The campaign culminates in the on-ground chat show at a chosen location
-          This chat show is webcasted through Google hangouts and a live stream on the social media page of the campaign
-          The guests are gratified for their participation

 

 

The campaign will utilize two videos.

1.      First Video – Theme Introduction and Numb Hour Challenge (1st October Launch)

2.      Second Video – Pre-promotion of NGO/Hospital/Institution Visit (9th October Launch)

 

 

 

The First Video is made of the following three components in the same order

1.      Harsha Bhogle Introduction Monologue

2.      Snippets of Harsha Bhogle (a day in his life with one hand tied behind his back)

3.      Harsha Bhogle Conclusion Monologue

 

         I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase that says, ‘the glass is half empty’. But have you ever wondered how it would feel like if you were the glass itself? Image yourself half empty; totally numb and utterly unable to do anything with that half. Even worse still, you’re utterly unable to do anything about it because it was too late? That’s how a victim of stroke feels. We write our destinies with our own hands. But what if we cannot use the dominant hand to do it?

         We often tend to ignore the seriousness of this issue, but do we even know how serious it truly is? When someone suffers from a stroke, the side of the affected brain makes the entire body in that side go numb. Imagine living a single hour like that, where you cannot use your limbs on one side entirely. To start off, imagine yourself unable to use just both your hands for an entire hour.

         I took a challenge to try it out myself and let me tell you, it was a story of serious effort in itself. I put myself in the shoes of a stroke patient and decided to live his life for a few hours. This was the ‘Numb Hour’ Challenge, to see how long I could manage before I gave up.

 

-          We show a day in the life of Harsha Bhogle where he goes about his entire day with a hand tied behind his back

-          This is from the time he wakes up, freshens up, has breakfast, goes to work, meets colleagues and friends, does his work and comes back home after finishing it

-          We show small snippets for each of these sections, showcasing his struggle to go about his business in a normal manner

-          Once these snippets end, we revert to the conclusion monologue

 

Just a day like that was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I faced so many difficulties which I hadn’t previously thought of. It showed me how vulnerable I can be. It made me realize that recovering from stroke involves a learning process that takes the toll of time, strength of willpower and the fortitude of determination to rewrite our destinies all over again. It taught me to ACT FAST, so that I don’t end up like that for my entire life.

I’ve told you my story. Now I’d like to hear yours. Did you take the ‘Numb Hour’ challenge? What did you feel? How did you manage? Live an hour in the life of a stroke victim and tell me your about your experience.

 

 

The second video is launched to promote Harsha Bhogle’s visit to the NGO/Hospital/Institution. Here, he talks about the campaign, people’s feedback and eventually about his visit to stroke patients as a conclusion to the campaign. This entire video is shot in the same monologue style as used in the first video. This is to establish a sense of continuity to the campaign.

 

         We’ve seen some very interesting stories, some of which were challenging and some, which were downright frustrating. But they all brought a sense of accomplishment for anyone who took part in the ‘Numb Hour’ Challenge. It gave us a humble understanding of the true gifts that we have and showed us that we should cherish them, especially when many others cannot.

It also showed us the true mettle of stroke patients who undergo their entire lives in this manner without complaint and sometimes, with the utmost ease. It made us realize how strong they truly are. Such strength should be commended and I shall be there to showcase my appreciation for how they live their lives as a constant source of inspiration for every single one of us.

         You can showcase your support for their strength too. Join me at __________ (name of location) on the _________ (date of visit). You can also get a diagnosis for stroke to ensure that you never have to undergo a numb future again. ACT FAST and spread the word.