India Gate ad urges people to donate rice, not throw it, at weddings
A new campaign from India Gate has encouraged people to donate the rice they would traditionally throw at weddings, saying the simple action could help millions of poverty-stricken Indians.
India Gate Campaign
The campaign, created by The Classic Partnership (part of WPP's VMLY&R), is a new take on the tradition of ‘shower blessings’ which take place during a wedding ceremony. The custom can see many kilograms of rice go to waste after its been tossed on the newly married couple.
Instead, it encouraged couples to have rice packaged and donated instead.
“The campaign acknowledged the significance of tradition within Indian culture, while empowering society to make a positive and effective change,” explained Anoop Gupta, joint managing director, at India Gate parent company KRBL India.
“It conveyed the issue of how much rice is traditionally showered at weddings, then gave newly-weds the choice of using less, the differential then being used to benefit the underprivileged.”
India Gate said the simple action could help the 195 million people around the country who struggle to find food every day.