Aamchi Mumbai… Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan… Salaam Bombay… have you wondered why pretty much every pop culture reference around this city oozes a sense of belonging and pride. There’s something truly very special about Mumbai, or Bombay. And therein lies the reason too. Bombay’s journey from the city of 7 islands to Mumbai as we know it today, is filled with rich tales of conflict & courage peppered with socio-cultural nuances. It’s this history that Mumbai Mirror is celebrating in all its glory through their campaign ‘Mumbai Mirrored’.
The campaign is a really well-rounded take to bring forth the story of the city through the voices of people who represent the heart and soul of the city – a select few true-blue Mumbaikars. An adman, a super cop, an architect and activists come together to share the story of Mumbai through Mumbai Mirrored. The campaign leverages a combination of videos, print and influencer platforms to share never heard before stories about Mumbai. It’s truly a refreshing and mesmerizing way to encapsulate the history and journey of Mumbai.
Check out one such gem from the Mumbai Mirrored video series: Gerson da Cunha, a Bombaywalla who’s lived in Bombay through independence and seen the city transform to Mumbai.
Takes you through a nostalgia trip, doesn’t it? Mumbai Mirror has done a wonderful job curating authentic stories, photos and little-known pieces of anecdotes and information about Bombay. Check out the treasure trove at www.mumbaimirrored.com
Another unique way by which the campaign found itself reminiscing the glorious past of the city was through nostalgic photos. Readers were asked to share photos of things and moments from the past which we don’t see that often nowadays. One of the most interesting things which came to light was a Radio License issued in 1972, which one had to procure to play the radio as opposed to today when we stream music on demand.
Another reader shared a tram ticket, which he used to travel to school in the 1950s. It’s a little souvenir from the past which the reader has saved to revisit his childhood from time to time.
These little pieces of joy truly took us down memory lane, and we found little bit of Bombay in each of these artefacts.
The content in Mumbai Mirror too accentuated their campaign. Features on the city’s marvels, interviews, articles, trivia and contests, such as ‘Guess The Place’, ‘Throwback Bombay’, ‘Then and Now’ and ‘Moments from Mumbai’ – #MumbaiMirrored really took over!
Beyond this, Mumbai Mirror on the launch day did something really cool and never-done-before in the newspaper. They distributed the paper with 7 different front cover pages across the city. The masthead along with the text on the page was inverted and readable when held in front of a mirror. This symbolised a throwback to the 7 islands that created the Maximum City & a reflection of the journey from Bombay to Mumbai. With every household receiving a different cover, the readers were asked to post a picture against a mirror using #MumbaiMirrored
With the campaign catching popularity, we also saw popular names from different walks of life, like fashion blogger Aanam C, actress and anchor Maria Goretti, VJ Gaelyn, actor Jay Bhanushali, Chef Ranveer Brar and others joining the conversation and sharing images of mirror reflections of them holding Mumbai Mirror, which got #MumbaiMirrored trending.
Other Mumbaikars joined the conversation by interviewing their parents as they took us down memory lane, sharing tales of what the city was like when they were growing up.
The city’s ever so beloved Dabbawalas too expressed their love for the city.
Our Dabbawalas have grabbed a copy, have you? Wondering what's going?
Find out on https://t.co/IfClF37loi#MumbaiMirrored #BombayToMirror pic.twitter.com/bklJrz3cVL— Mumbai Mirror (@MumbaiMirror) September 18, 2019
The campaign has been received warmly by all with it garnering 21 million video views.
From the days of mills to the flashy cars over sea link, Bombay has come a long way to become Mumbai. Yet the spirit of the city remains ever so bright. Mumbai Mirrored is a campaign that pays a fitting tribute to this spirit. What do you guys think?
