Amidst Kerala floods devastating the lives of lakhs and killing over 400, with the heavy downpour still continuing, someone painted a big “Thanks” message on the rooftop. Rescue Operators had saved two women, one of them pregnant from the same rooftop a day before! This heart touching message to express gratitude turned out to be the mother of all messages communicated in recent times. People quickly connected with the message, thanked the brave rescuers and appreciated this little gesture of gratitude.
This blog is an attempt to analyze this message and understand as to why it turned out to be such an effective communication. Why was it an instant hit on print, electronic & social media? This message certainly has something truly special and it goes beyond the features and principles of effective messaging laid down by Gurus of communication. I wish Marketing Communication Specialists analyze this piece of communication and give their feedback.
What makes this message so Special?
It’s the awesome timing, perfect medium, simplest content and above all the innovative and yet honest intent that I believe takes this message right to the top. Let us now go a step deeper to know as to how could this message effortlessly stand out amidst millions of messages communicated every second.
The Simplicity of the Message:
Just 6 Big Capital letters that simply say THANKS, painted in white on a darker background. No, underline, no exclamation nothing more at all. It simply communicates the “Thank You” message and just that. Isn’t this an idea so original and genuine and must have stemmed out straight from the heart.
The Timing:
The timing cannot get better than this one. House flooded till the first floor, red alert in the state and two women were airlifted just a day before this message appeared. One of the women rescued was pregnant and delivered within 30 minutes of the rescue! The timing adds so much more to the curiosity in this case. Whose idea was this? Who is the person who painted this? How did he do it so quickly? Where did he get the Paint from? How is he related to the rescuers? The list goes on…
The Spot and The Medium:
The spot or the medium is the masterpiece here. The event of airlifting women from the rooftop was telecasted across news channels and was a familiar site for the people. It was a genius idea to convert the same terrace into a medium for this message. People across the country must have connected the Thanks message to the rescue event even before reading the detailed report. I have never seen a smarter Below- the -line communication than this one. Simply because a message on the terrace stares straight up and reaches only those who can fly a chopper. Now, we all know who dares to fly choppers during such severe flooding!
The Honesty & Intention:
The highpoint of this message is that it is extremely pure and honest in its intent. It is a message communicated exclusively to the rescuers in dignified privacy. It was not intended for the TV Cameras nor for the Social Media. If the same message were to be put-out on a flex in a prime location or even in front of the same house it would have appeared ordinary. If a placard was held to the media cameras with the same message it would have seemed fake. This is exactly why the communications strategically planned and designed in the boardrooms fail in comparison.
The world today is filled with the messages that have commercial or political or selfish intent. The messages such as this, that are pure and honest in its intent stand out and touch the hearts of millions.