Travel To Vote

As election fever grips the country, there are over 900 million citizens eligible to vote in this year’s elections. Many are registered as a voter in their home town far away from their current city. However, it is estimated that more than 91 per cent of people do not return to their home town to vote. To urge citizens to exercise their right of vote, travel luggage company, Samsonite launched a campaign to inspire people to travel to their hometown to vote.

The brand has launched the #EkDinKiChutti initiative, encouraging people to take a day off and travel home to vote. The campaign has been conceptualised by Autumn Grey.

Explaining the concept behind the campaign, Jai Krishnan, CEO, Samsonite South Asia, said, “Elections are not just a process but also a celebration of democracy in our country. Living in the world’s largest democracy, we must take our role as citizens seriously and exercise our right. With this unique initiative, we hope to remind everyone that the chutti that they might have been ignoring all this while, shouldn’t be disregarded at all. Reinforcing this thought process, we have announced an official #EkDinKiChutti for all outstation employees who are registered in their home towns, giving them an opportunity to #TravelToVote.”

This message is driven home through a short, thought-provoking film, which features a man taking a day’s leave from work to visit his home town. Over the course of his inspirational journey he savours the sights and sounds of his birthplace, reconnecting with old friends and spending time with his loved ones. But these reunions are  short-lived as his motive to take the chutti is different. The next scene opens with a close-up, as the man is recognised by an old acquaintance. As greetings are exchanged, the man informs us that he’s only in town for a day. With this revelation, the camera zooms out to reveal him casting a vote in a polling booth. As the film draws to a close, the audience is reminded that every vote matters on the path to building a brighter, more prosperous future.

Speaking about the campaign, Bodh Deb, Vice President & Branch Head, Autumn Grey shared, “As we were brainstorming on finding a real insight for the election campaign, we realized that none of us had the moral high ground to speak on the subject. Most of us have migrated to another city for work years back and had never made an effort to go back home to cast our vote. Instantly we knew that we have hit upon an insight that will strike a chord with millions like us and thus came up with the campaign.”