Music Knows No Colour Or Creed
Advertisements focusing on social issues have often had a deeper impact that goes beyond just entertainment and brand engagement. The Vogue Empower campaign from 2014 put the spotlight on why conversations about domestic violence are important and how a change can be brought about. On similar lines, Delhi-NCR based music school Bridge Music Academy recently launched a campaign called ‘The Racist Cover’ that aims to fight racism with music.
Conceptualised by Dentsu Webchutney, the campaign is supported by Culture Fox, an Indo-European community of art connoisseurs and travellers. The Racist Cover is a piano version of a song played without the black keys.
The ad film is actually woven around a social experiment that was conducted on the students of Bridge Music Academy. As part of the experiment, kids from age group 10-12 were initially given the notes of a popular song, minus the black keys, to play. No one could identify it; until they were handed the notes with both white and black keys. It was Michael Jackson’s hit number Black or White. It is surprising how much difference the presence of black keys can make.
Speaking about the concept of using music to tackle racism, Ritesh Khokhar, founder of Bridge Music Academy, says, “I have always believed that art has a higher purpose. Music is a universal language. While racism divides, music unites. We are committed to use the power of music to create a better world by raising our kids better.”
Explaining the inspiration behind the campaign, Gurbaksh Singh, chief creative technologist of Dentsu Webchutney, says, “A few months ago, a global publication declared India as the second most racist country in the world. While many others questioned the report, Bridge Music Academy wanted to address the problem of racism. The academy wanted to put its belief of changing the world through music into action.”
“Racism is so deeply engraved that we become indifferent to it, and that’s a bigger problem. Children are free of racial prejudice. Sensitising them at a young age is our best hope in the fight against racism,” adds Sudesh Samaria, chief creative officer and co-founder, Dentsu Webchutney.
The campaign is primarily designed for on-ground and digital medium and will soon feature a print innovation for schools and music academies.
