LAVA fights back against fake forwards with new campaign

Indian mobile handset brand, Lava International Limited, today announced the launch of its Republic Day campaign- #SendItBack. The hard hitting campaign video highlights the ongoing menace of fake forwarded messages that create panic and fuel acts of violence. It urges all mobile phone users in the country to pause, think and send the ‘Back’ emoji to verify the authenticity of a forwarded message before sharing it with the others.

The campaign is aimed at prompting a behaviour change in people by urging them to use social media more judicially. Conceptualised and executed by 82.5 Communications, the campaign has been rolled out across various digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The #SendItBack initiative encapsulates the core emotion of the brand, i.e, #ProudlyIndian.

Speaking about this special initiative, Mugdh Rajit, Marketing and S&D Strategy Head, LAVA said, “The menace of fake news is growing by leaps & bounds. The fact that India has the world’s second largest number of mobile phone users, it becomes very important for us to curb the fake rumours from spreading. LAVA is a Proudly Indian brand and we believe that it is our responsibility to contribute to the society. With #SendItBack initiative we intend to spark-off a movement against fake forwards so that the social media does not become a tool for the perpetrators of the violence. We envision this moment to go beyond the boundaries of the brand, wherein the audience is fighting this social issue in unison.”

Commenting about the launch, Chandana Agarwal, President North, 82.5 Communications, said, “Lava has been running the Proudly Indian Campaign for a year and a half, it always picks up messages that are relevant and makes one rethink patriotism. We are very excited about the message this year, with a handset in every hand, it is the responsibility of every Indian to fight fake news. This campaign is an important step towards making people aware of this duty”

Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman and CCO, 82.5 Communications added, “India is at the heart of the 82.5 DNA -- so we're grateful to LAVA for the opportunity to create communication that benefits the nation."