MUMBAI—8th May 2024 — Prime Video, India’s most loved entertainment destination, recently unveiled a one-of-its-kind marketing campaign as a precursor to the date announcement of its upcoming Original series Panchayat Season 3. What sets this campaign apart from other title announcement initiatives is the inventive use of one of the most underrated yet constant summer vegetables in many Indian households – Lauki. By positioning this simple yet highly versatile vegetable, which has been an integral part of the series’ narrative from the beginning, at the core of the campaign, Prime Video reinforces its commitment to delivering authenticity, originality, and innovation in its programming and marketing. This approach has made Panchayat ki lauki a buzzworthy topic nationwide.
The week-long hybrid marketing campaign, encompassing both digital as well as offline, began on April 29. Prime Video kicked off the campaign by launching an intriguing website – www.panchayat3date.com that featured the date announcement creative covered with laukis. The visitors were urged to pluck (click) the iconic Phulera ki lakes to unveil the official launch date. Simultaneously, the laukis adorned billboards across Mumbai and Delhi, concealing the date, and creating curiosity amongst the on-lookers.
As the lakes were being removed online, the progress was also being reflected on the hoardings across Delhi and Mumbai, further amping up the curiosity and fueling excitement amongst the public. The success of the campaign could be seen in the fact that over one million people were engaged, with 14,02,077 laukis being clicked off from the image on the webpage. Getting caught up in the lauki ki peeche ka raaz fervor, the cast of Panchayat, along with several social media influencers urged Panchayat fans as well as their followers to participate in this unique initiative by posting snippets about the campaign on their social media handles. The on-ground initiative also extended to prominent vegetable markets in major and smaller cities nationwide, such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Indore, and New Delhi, to name a few. These markets were inundated with laukis bearing the release date, accompanied by visits from the series’ cast, amplifying awareness of the show among the general public.
Prime Video also gifted the launch date stamped laukis, or as many will consider, the lucky mascot of Original series Panchayat, to several social media influencers.
Panchayat, with its light-hearted, realistic narrative and characters has become an antidote for many to tackle the mundane, stressful lives one leads. Over the last 4 years, the series has proved to be a perfect “comfort watch’, across demographics and age groups. Based on this interesting customer insight, the streaming service conceptualized the campaign line, ‘Tension Khatam. Panchayat Shuru’, with hoardings spreading the message of ‘Panchayat Lijiye’, as a magic pill to drive away all your worries and leave you with a smile and a lighter mood. Each season of Panchayat has become a proxy to actionable solutions to everyday problems. Through targeted advertisements, engaging social media content, and interactive experiences, Prime Video saw an unprecedented level of engagement amongst existing as well as potential customers. The success of this campaign underscores Prime Video’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional content and unparalleled experiences to viewers worldwide.
Prime Video executed the campaign alongside its agency partners Kulfi Collective, So Cheers, Initiative (IPG), and Trzy Innovations.
Created by The Viral Fever, Panchayat S3 is directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and written by Chandan Kumar. The star cast boasts Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, and Sanvikaa in pivotal roles. The new season will premiere in Hindi, with dubs in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, exclusively on Prime Video in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on May 28.
