MTV’s #BiryaniEmoticon campaign talks about Biryani having an emoticon

What happens when you hear the word ‘Biryani’? Do violins start playing in your head? Does your heart skip a beat? Does your stomach start growling? If the answer is yes, and if your mouth is already salivating or your fingers have already reached a food delivering app, then you are one of the countless Biryani lovers in India who are truly and madly in love with biryani. Ordered at an astonishing rate of 43 orders per minute*, Biryani isn’t just a dish but an indefinable emotion. Yet, there isn’t an emoticon for it. And in a world of millennial lingos, not having an emoticon for India’s most relished dish is a Dhokha! To counter this dhokha, India’s No.1 Youth Brand, MTV launched a clutter-breaking campaign that started a movement to sign the petition for the first-ever Indian food emoticon on the dedicated page-http://chng.it/XJLfYK2wzx

Co- conceptualised in partnership with Tonic Worldwide, the campaign has undying love for biryani at its core and a very clear message-biryani is an emotion; it’s time to make it an emoticon! The cause got even more support with Biryani By Kilo coming on board as the official Biryani Partner. MTV kickstarted the campaign on social media with some quirky, bone tickling films, along with the most engaging, tongue-in-cheek creatives and infographics across platforms, that made an earnest plea for the emoticon. The quirky 60 seconders won't just make one laugh but also make us realise how passionate we are as a country for biryani. It makes us ponder over our ironical situation that even despite being a ‘young’ country, Biryani isn’t a part of the youth’s digital chat lingo. Through a series of posts and videos that reflected the variety and succulence of Biryani, MTV started conversations that called upon millions of food patrons to shower their support and sign the petition on the dedicated page. Three days into the campaign, an overwhelming response on social media poured in from leading brands and commoners, as the #BiryaniEmoticon #JusticeForBiryani was seen trending on Twitter.

The number of sign-ups on the petition is already close to 8,000 and counting, as you read this. So strong has the buzz been, that it caught the eye of leading influencers from B-Town like Aayushman Khurrana, Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Athiya Shetty and many more who joined the biryani-wagon in India’s collective request for making Biryani an emoticon.

MTV even leaped ahead and took the plea for Biryani emoticon to the streets of Delhi with the coolest and one of a kind ‘Biryani march’! Spearheaded by the popular VJ Gaelyn, over 600 college students stormed the streets of Delhi from Jamia Hamdard to New Delhi Institute of Management, Mehrauli to show their love for biryani and garner nationwide support to make it an emoticon- an integral part of the lives of millennials. But signing the petition is not where it ends. To spread the love for Biryani far and wide, MTV also associated with The Robin Hood Army, a non-profit organization that works to get surplus food to the less fortunate. For every 10 signatures on the petition, MTV will feed biryani to 1 kid from the Robin Hood Army, once the campaign is closed.

Speaking on the campaign, Navin Shenoy, Marketing Head, Youth, Music, and English Entertainment, Viacom18 said, “Quirk and innovation drive brand MTV. Through our brand campaigns, we have always tried to tap into the sentiments of India’s youth. Given the ever-burgeoning affinity for emoticons amongst millennials, the Biryani emoticon campaign is an effort to explore the social media vocabulary and connect with foodies at the same time. We are elated to know that the campaign has seen a mammoth response amongst the youth across platforms. It’s thrilling to have so many people join MTV to get justice for Biryani. It will be a long road from an emotion to an emoticon for Biryani, but I guess, the journey has started and unified the youth behind the cause.”

Talking on innovation of the campaign, Pratik Hatankar, Head of Innovations & New Initiatives, Tonic Worldwide, said " The way we communicate today, our tool of expression let's admit is an emoticon and you could say probably it's mightier than the word. The idea was to culture hack the nation's most loved food Biryani and connect with the youth.”

So, if you have already ordered a delectable plate of biryani just like we have, go visit http://chng.it/XJLfYK2wzx and sign the petition. It’s time to bring the #BiryaniEmoticon to life!