Bournvita and Dravid Want Kids Off Screens

Cadbury Bournvita’s latest campaign aims to motivate children to leave their homes and hit the cricket fields. They’re offering kids the chance to be trained by veteran cricketer and former head coach of the Indian national cricket team, Rahul Dravid. This campaign, titled "D for Dreams," uses AI and QR codes to inspire the next generation to enhance their cricket skills.

Conceptualized and created by Ogilvy, the campaign highlights the issue of children lacking outdoor activities. In an ad film, Bournvita discusses the importance of vitamin D for children and how playing outside in the sun is the best source. The film features Rahul Dravid in a mentoring role, explaining key aspects of batting.

The campaign is unique for Bournvita. While it maintains the brand's traditional empowering and motivational tones, it also incorporates technology and features one of cricket’s greatest players. Akshay Seth, executive creative director at Ogilvy, explains that the campaign addresses parents' concerns about their children spending too much time on screens. He notes, “Increasing levels of Vitamin D deficiency in Indian kids due to disproportionate screen time is a pain point for most parents today. The brand wanted to join hands with them in giving kids a strong enough reason to keep their devices down and step out in the sun.”

The campaign was launched around the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, aiming to capitalize on the cricket fever. Seth adds, “Since almost every Indian kid dreams of playing cricket for the country, we decided to create a cricketing experience that would excite kids to step out in the sun. With the fervor of the T20 World Cup, getting the very legend who would be training India’s 11, to be every kid’s personal trainer seemed like a very promising opportunity to encourage kids and made the association a natural fit.”

Rahul Dravid, who recently stepped down as the head coach of the Indian National Cricket Team for T20, is central to this initiative. However, personalized training from Dravid can only be accessed by scanning QR codes on Bournvita packs or visiting the website directly, which seems paradoxical for a campaign urging kids to reduce screen time.

Seth clarifies, “There isn’t any tech intervention for kids as the campaign is directed towards parents who on buying Bournvita, can scan the QR code or visit the website. They simply have to record their kid playing shots under the sun and with our AI training module, Rahul Dravid will provide them technical training, on how to perfect their technique down to minute degrees.”

The AI module visualizes a batter’s movements and suggests improvements in form, angle, and body weight. Ogilvy’s tech team, along with Bournvita, spent about 1.5 months creating and optimizing this advanced computer vision technology to record Dravid’s exact technique.

The campaign is omni-channel, utilizing digital and social media, as well as on-ground activities, TV, points of sale, and e-commerce. According to Seth, the initiative has been very successful, bolstered by India’s World Cup victory. He says, “The campaign has created a lot of impressions and engagement. The opportunity of getting personalized training from Rahul Dravid has resulted in heavy traffic on the microsite and we hope that an increasing number of kids continue to step out in the sun.”