Mumbai: Vicks Cough Drops, the trusted brand known for its commitment to giving India a khich khich free voice, joined hands with cricket icon Yuvraj Singh to unveil its new #VicksKholIndiaBol Cheer Anthem. The #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem celebrates our nation’s boundless enthusiasm for cricket and aims to enable 142 crore Voice champions to cheer for their team this cricket season.

Vicks Cough Drops has always been known for its iconic campaigns highlighting how it has enabled Indians to speak up in critical moments of life without any khich khich. This cricket season, Vicks Cough Drops presents a fresh musical take on keeping the Cricket Fans at the centre and giving them a khich khich free voice to cheer for their team.

The renowned #VicksKholIndiaBol anthem was crafted and conceived by Vicks India in collaboration with LK Saatchi & Saatchi. Vicks Cough drops have been a trusted solution for generations, providing relief from pesky throat irritations. This time, the challenge was unique. With the cricket season approaching, Vicks aimed to make a memorable impact in an unconventional manner. The connection between cheering and the brand was evident, but the question was how to stand out in the sea of cricket anthems.

L&K Saatchi & Saatchi Jt. national creative director Rohit Malkani said, “After several brainstorming sessions, the team embarked on a quest to find India's 'Voice Champions,' rallying support from the 1.42 billion-strong Indian populace. The resulting anthem is an uplifting tribute that includes the legendary 'six sixes' man himself, Yuvraj Singh, and a cast of over 220 members. It has been a gratifying journey, working closely with the dedicated Vicks team who supported and encouraged us every step of the way.”

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On Vicks Cough Drops' legacy of iconic campaigns enabling Indians to speak up in critical life moments without hesitation, and what made you want to do this campaign 'VickskholIndiabol anthem' now

Cheer is such an integral part of any sport and is a major factor for any sports personality to get motivated when fans cheer them. That precisely is why we thought of coming with the #VicksKholIndiaBol cheer anthem for the upcoming cricketing season and ensuring that nothing stands in between the celebrations whilst making 142 crore voice champions of India. The lyrics of the anthem reveal how voices have the power to make the loudest cheer and how cheers can turn tables during a match and multifold the passion of cricket fans from every nook and corner of our country. Towards ensuring that no cheer goes unheard, we have also partnered with India Signing Hands to create a fun-filled version of this anthem in Indian sign language for the estimated 6.3 crore strong hearing-impaired community, who share the same passion and enthusiasm for the game. With this anthem, Vicks cough drops is celebrating the unity in diversity that defines our nation and its love for the game.

On the strategy behind the campaign and the decision to make an anthem as a centerpiece for the cricket campaign, rather than exploring other mediums

If anyone thinks about ‘Vicks cough drops’, the next thing that comes to their mind is khich khich durr karo. That’s the brand recall value our product has. When we started brainstorming to drive relevance for the brand with our customers for the upcoming cricketing season, we thought Cheering could play a pivotal role in our campaign.  Hence this fresh musical take keeps the Cheers of Cricket Fans at the center. We want to give them a special way to cheer with a khich khich-free voice. The #VicksKholIndiaBol anthem celebrates our nation’s boundless enthusiasm for cricket, and the power of the collective voices of India’s 142 crore Voice Champions as they cheer during this cricket season. It reminds all of us of the power of cheering and how Vicks Cough Drops is enabling India to cheer uninterrupted to lead their team to victory. The lyrics of the anthem reveal how voices have the power to make the loudest cheer, how cheers can turn tables during a match and multifold the passion of cricket fans from every nook and corner of our country.

On the creative process behind creating this anthem and is it the first time that Vicks has explored this territory

The genesis of this idea was the desire to bring together Fans from across the country as Voice Champions to cheer for their team. We went through several rounds of brainstorming to figure out the best method to connect with our audience, and it became evident that music was the key. Music, being a universal language, was selected as the medium for bridging cultural and social boundaries and instilling a sense of solidarity and pride. The lyrics of the anthem reveal how voices have the power to make the loudest cheer, how cheers can turn tables during a match and multifold the passion of cricket fans from every nook and corner of our country. In this anthem we have brought together music, cricket and the power of 142 crore voices to cheer aloud and together. It's a call to action, reminding us that our cheers, no matter where they originate from, can resonate on a large scale, symbolising unity in diversity.

Secondly, we are also bringing in inclusivity with this anthem by partnering with India Signing Hands. The brand is set to release a special version of the anthem for the deaf community. There are approximately 6.3 crore cheers that remain unheard of the hearing-impaired community. For that, the brand has unveiled a one-minute version of the anthem featuring passionate fans from the community and Yuvraj Singh grooving to it. This version of the anthem will be released in the coming weeks.

On social media and digital playing a big role for every brand today, your plan to amplify the anthem and your marketing/communication for a vast regional and vernacular market

The Anthem will be live across our channels and will be engaging consumers in a host of online and offline activities making them CHEER the loudest with a khich khich free voice. This campaign will be digitally led with a primary focus on platforms like YouTube, Hotstar, and Meta. Although we are using a variety of media outlets, these platforms will be a key part of our advertising strategy because they offer an ideal setting to interact with a large and varied audience. We are also looking to create a shorter duration of the anthem and partnering with influencers who will bring their version of the anthem digitally. We also have a hook step challenge that will go live soon.

On how the festive season along with the ICC World Cup is being played in India after 11 years, every brand wants to be associated with cricket as it is worshipped in India, and on planning to stand out in this cluttered space and what would be your USP

Vicks Cough Drops, the market leader in Throat Lozenges in India has always been known for its iconic campaigns highlighting how it has enabled Indians to speak up in critical moments of life without any khich khich. This cricket season, Vicks Cough Drops presents a fresh musical take on keeping the Cricket Fans at the centre. We want to give them a special way to cheer with a khich khich-free voice.

The Vicks Khol India Bol campaign shall be disseminated across all the touch points relevant to the target audience like YouTube, Hotstar & Meta. Young Adults are the ones who really help spread the word, and therefore, we are going to get them on board to remind all fans to cheer without khich khich for their favourite team this cricket season with reminders across cricket matches on Hotstar. We have an exciting contest also coming up for all the cricket fans as discussed by Yuvraj and the details will be available on the Social Media handles of Vicks very soon.

On Vicks cough drops showcasing the power of India’s 142 crore Voice Champions, its importance for brand Vicks and on taking it forward

Cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Indians, going beyond being just a sport. This campaign aims to celebrate the power of cheering and the emotional connection people have with cricket, especially during the festive season. To reach consumers effectively, the brand plans to leverage various touchpoints and have and multiple phases of activations designed to involve consumers in creating their content. Towards ensuring that no cheer goes unheard, we have also partnered with India Signing Hands to create a fun-filled version of our new cheer anthem in Indian sign language for the estimated 6.3 crore strong hearing-impaired community, who share the same passion and enthusiasm for the game. With this anthem, Vicks cough drops is celebrating the unity in diversity that defines our nation and its love for the game.