This #DiwaliKaSafar, Samsonite reminds us to show gratitude during our journey

Every year millions of families, gather together for Diwali. Diyas are lit, presents are exchanged, sweets are distributed, and prayers are offered. Diwali is about going home, meeting parents, family, spending time with near and dear ones, travelling for vacations - ultimately it’s a time to celebrate togetherness!  

As the world’s leading luggage brand, Samsonite has always been guided by one key principle: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Over a hundred years later, that motto remains the brand’s guiding philosophy. While all of us experience the joy and embrace the festive fervour, in the brightness of the festival, some people fade away and surprisingly, these are the ones that make home-coming during Diwali possible. This Diwali, Samsonite India took a different route and delivered a story that was never told before, the story of these unrecognised faces.

Samsonite brings the attention of people to the travel enablers across railway, roadway, airways, etc. urging everyone to take a moment to offer gratitude to them and wish them Happy Diwali as they miss their Diwali for our “#DiwaliKaSafar” – one of the largest domestic travel season.  

Anushree Tainwala, Executive Director - Marketing, Samsonite South Asia shared the underlying thought of the campaign by stating, “India travels back home for Diwali but while we’re on our journey back home, we often forget the ones who take us home, who make it possible for us to reach home safely and most often we also forget the fact that it’s their Diwali too. Our new campaign #DiwaliKaSafar is simply lead by the thought of wishing our travel enablers a happy Diwali and thanking them for their service. A thank you can go a long way and a Diwali wish can certainly make someone feel at home even when they are away from home.” 

Pradnya Popade, Director, Marketing Communications, Samsonite South Asia added, “Advertising peaks during Diwali and many brands speak about the spirit of Diwali. However, Samsonite did what’s beyond the ordinary with their new Diwali campaign #DiwaliKaSafar. The beauty of the campaign is in the simplicity that it holds. The message being that while we’re on our way back home to reunite with our family and friends, we often forget the ones that help us reach home during Diwali. Being a travel brand, Samsonite strikes a chord with the audience effortlessly by just thanking these travel angels and wishing them a Happy Diwali.” 

To commemorate this message, Samsonite has showcased the experiences of four working individuals on Diwali. Through a series of overlapping shots,  the protagonists are introduced– Balbeer, a bus driver, and his mother; Snighda, an air hostess; Mohan, a taxi driver and his children; and Tapas, a ticket collector on a train. 

Thoroughly dedicated to their work and having no qualms on foregoing their Diwali holiday, the TVC showcases how each one of them miss their family on this special occasion. Similarly, its shown how their families' enthusiasm for Diwali is dampened by the absence of their loved ones. But as the night progresses, the spirit of the festival uplifts all of the protagonists as the passengers share Diwali greetings with them upon arriving to their destination. The TVC ends with all four protagonists coming to understand the true value of their work!

Bodh Deb, Vice President and Branch Head of Autumn Grey - Mumbai said, “For Samsonite our endeavour has always been to do meaningful communication that resonates with our audience. For this Diwali, the insight we came up with was a simple but powerful one. While so many of us travel back home to spend time with our family, we often miss to acknowledge the selfless service of all the Travel Enablers in our society. This Diwali, we wanted to take a moment to say Thank You to them for sacrificing their Diwali, so that we all can travel back home to our families and enjoy our favourite festival with our loved ones.”

Agency credits

Client: Samsonite

Creative Agency: Autumn Grey

Founder and CEO: Anusha Shetty

Vice President and Branch Head: Bodh Deb

Insight & Campaign Idea: Bodh Deb & Nishanth Ananthram

Film Script Written by: Nishanth Ananthram

Campaign Team: Shalini Ghildiyal, Rugvedi Joshi, Nishant Sethi, Hazel Dalby, Jane Sequeira, Soumyadeep Ghosh, Shriya Chopra, Mohit Bhardwaj, Sayani Ray, Vidushii Shrivastava, Nemil Boghani, Sameer Parashtekar, Deepak Puttaramaiah, Kaleemuddin G A, Kaveri Ganiger, Radhika Ajgaonkar, Kruthika R. Kumar, Harish Prabhakar, Vinod Kumar and Prateek Mathur.

Director: Puneet Prakash

Production House: Dora Digs