There’s a new short film doing the rounds on social media. It’s tender, thoughtful, and has the right rawness to it. There’s a lot of relevant and relatable chatter happening over glasses of chai—focus—mental health. The film gently nudges viewers to “talk it out,” to break the silence. It’s powerful. It’s also anonymous to most of the audience, who see it as a social media share or forward.
The debate among various groups I belong to was why not tag the brand or let it go anonymously? Yes, we know who made it- but let me pretend and play along that most won’t know who made it because the brand behind it decided not to put its name on it. No logo. No hashtag. And not even “brought to you by.” Just vibes. And possibly, some degree of guilt.
The creators are a quick-commerce brand known for delivering food and other items faster than you can say the name. The brand association with this film seems ironic, considering some of their own delivery riders barely get time to breathe, let alone sip tea or process emotions. Trust that a lot of mental pressure and issues are simmering under the surface as they track and deliver.
But wait—it gets deeper.
As a marketer and with my beliefs, I would hate to think that the film was not meant to be branded. CSR or otherwise, it cost money and effort and was done with an objective. To me, it means it was meant to be branded. There must have been some decks. Small virtual and may be just descriptive narration of Mood boards. Strategy meetings and approvals where “brand purpose” and “topical empathy” were buzzwords floated in the conference room and filled the emails.
But then, and that is a conjecture I make, somewhere along the way, possibly during a group session, it must have dawned on the brand team that they were about to start a conversation on mental wellness while ignoring the state of those zipping around on scooters wearing their logo.
So, drawing from the Gandhian philosophy and in a bold move, they adopted the policy of “let not the left hand know what the right is filming.” Now that money has already been spent, there is no point in canning the project, and with International Tea Day around the corner, it may actually make sense.
The result? A piece of sincere content, untainted by corporate fingerprints, that would win hearts is being shared on social media and is igniting a few relevant discussions beyond the question of branding the initiative.
Of course, some critics ( and people like me) argue that when you’re using shareholders’ money, emotional anonymity is a luxury, not a strategy. The investors, if they know the company, may ask, “Lovely film. But can someone tell me how it impacts my top line or the dividend I expect to earn- will it make the share price rise?” Are we selling more chai or not?”
Still, there’s something oddly pure and satisfying about it. Many would appreciate the lack of jarring brand integration—just a subtle suggestion that talking helps- and maybe sme would finally open up with their problem over a cup of tea.
People are sharing it- that’s a good point. Commenting on how “finally, someone gets it.” But no one knows who this “someone” is, which could be a win for humanity. Or a branding masterstroke disguised as a random act of kindness. Or just an oops-that-turned-out-pretty-well. Maybe once there is a positive move, the brand will re-release or expressly associate itself with the initiative.
Of course, the brand’s internal team is now in a mild panic.
What if it actually works? What if someone from our own employees or gig workers raises the subject? Do we have an explanation for why we didn’t include our own logo? Can we defend this strategic initiative? Or maybe someone is already writing the script of the next campaign – a unbranded documentary on gig economy burnout?”
But maybe, just maybe, that’s the magic.
In a world of relentless branding, the best marketing may be the kind that doesn’t market. At least not obviously. However, I still have my doubts. Does this unbranded tea film serve a branding purpose, or does it only serve a humanitarian purpose?
So here’s to the unbranded, chai-soaked film being appreciated by most. May it bring awareness, spark conversation, and provide just enough plausible deniability of the situation, if not a direct brand association.
And if someday you feel lighter after talking things out over chai, remember: a silent brand might be listening… just not while someone on their payroll.
BLOG. 036/1094/2025 To connect, send an email . Twitter S_kotnala
P.S. If you do figure out or know ZOMATO made it, don’t tag them. Let them pretend to be humble. That’s the way they would have wanted it to be.
