‘Would you laugh if this was your child’, asks P&G Shiksha’s awareness campaign on learning gaps

P&G Shiksha’s #StandUpForLearningGaps campaign highlights the issue affecting 6 crore children per National Achievement Survey 2021. Through interventions, it targets foundational knowledge gaps in underprivileged children, aiming to prevent naive responses online that can lead to mockery.

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The film draws inspiration from recent internet memes featuring children struggling with answering questions and facing mockery for wrong answers. Despite the comedic element, this highlights a serious issue of hindering academic progress due to lack of understanding. P&G Shiksha’s campaign uses humor to provoke thought on learning gaps, posing the question: “Would you laugh if this happened to your child?” This initiative, titled “Stand Up for the Learning Gap,” aims to address the problem and encourage collective action.

Speaking about the new film, Abhishek Desai, Vice President – Brand Operation and Category Leader – Grooming, P&G Indiasaid, “For 19 years now, P&G Shiksha has championed access to education for millions of underprivileged children in India, impacting over 45 lakh children. We have reinforced this with our commitment to driving large-scale awareness regarding learning gaps, which impact over 6 crore children in India. These gaps can lead to frustration, a lack of understanding, and even ridicule. However, what often gets missed is the reason behind. By raising a pertinent question – “Would you laugh, if this happened with your child?”we are seeking to educate parents, guardians, teachers and well-wishers on the existence and impact of learning gaps, while also empowering them to identify and take steps to bridge these. We can come together to #StandupForLearningGap. Timely action can unleash a child’s full potential in leveraging education as an enabler for a brighter future.”

Rajdeepak Das, CCO PublicisGroupe South Asia and Chairman Leo Burnett South Asia, said, “To draw attention to one of the most overlooked problems in education in our country, “The Learning Gap” – we have used humour as a platform for our latest campaign for P&G Shiksha. We often come across memes of children making mistakes on the internet, not realizing the grim reality behind this. This is actually a learning crisis that affects almost 6 crore kids in India. By using stand-up comedy as a medium, we want to build awareness of this critical gap in learning.”

Created by Leo Burnett, the film features children answering simple math questions incorrectly in a comedy show, leading to laughter. Comedian Rahul Dua raises a question about empathy, highlighting learning gaps. The film then showcases P&G Shiksha’s efforts to address learning gaps and urges viewers to take action.

The campaign extends past the film, raising broad awareness through various methods. This involves discussions with prominent figures exploring learning gaps, alongside in-store activities in retail stores to enhance the message. A special test for parents and guardians will help identify learning gaps in children. Overall, the initiatives aim to highlight learning gaps prominently.

P&G India’s flagship CSR program, P&G Shiksha, has been working to provide access to education to underprivileged children since 2005. 

To enhance children’s learning outcomes, P&G Shiksha utilizes AI technology like ‘Mindspark’ and partners with Educational Initiatives. They also provide remedial learning through Pratham Education Foundation, using community-based and in-school approaches with trained volunteers and teachers. Furthermore, P&G Shiksha emphasizes early childhood education with Pratham, focusing on various skills to build a solid foundation for school.

Watch the film here:

P&G India

Agency Credits:

Creative Agency – Leo Burnett
Public Relations – Madison PR
Social Media Partner – Sociowash
Events and On-Ground Activation Partner – Synergy Experiences
Online Media Activation Partner – Starcom
Offline Media Activation – Essence Mediacomm

Film credits:

LBTEAM

1. Chief Creative Officer – Publicis Group for South Asia and Chairman – Leo Burnett South Asia: Rajdeepak Das
2. Chief Creative Officer: Vikram Pandey
3. Managing Partner: Abhimanyu Khedkar
4. Brand Services Partner: Kaavya Narang
5. Senior Brand Services Associate: Khushi Panchal
6. Executive Creative Director: Vinit Sanghvi 
7. Associate Creative Director: Piyush Jaiswal
8. Senior Copywriter: Tabassum Hashmi 
9. Copywriter: Eesha Sharma
10. Art Director: Sameer Salvi 
11. Art Director: RonakBanberu
12. Motion Designer: ShubhamMojar
13. Brand Strategy Director: VrudhiDoshi
14. Brand Services Intern: Kavya Gulati 
15. Brand Services Intern: Lyla Shroff

 LB FILMS

1. Head of Films Department: JigneshMaru
2. Agency Executive Producer: Anil Sonawane

 OFFROAD FILMS 

1. Director: Gary S
2. Executive Producer: Khalil Bachooali
3. Producer: Norten Menezes 
4. Associate Producer: DayaSuryavanshi
5. DOP: Shankar Raman
6. 1st AD: Deepak Magoo
7. 2nd AD: Naveen Bharti
8. DA: Akshay Srivastava 
9. Line Producer: Siva Konar
10. Production Manager: Karan Kandhari and Ankit Satarkar
11. Production Designer: Shoumini Ghosh Roy
12. Wardrobe Stylist: Neha Panda
13. Hair & Makeup: Sneha Rodricks
14. Casting Director: ChhaviVij
15. Post Producer: Vikrant Kapoor
16. Post Supervisor: Rahul Chavan
17. Offline Editor: Anshul Gupta
18. Grade: Dennis Gerasimov
19. Online Edit: ShyamalSahoo
20. CG: Rajiv (White Apple)
21. Music Director: Hanif Shaikh
22. Sound Engineer: Prince