Sawaal Uthao.
Tata 1mg asked Indians to question their medicines the way they question their gold and milk, and gave them a QR code to check where a strip of tablets came from.
- Brand
- Tata 1mg
- Agency
- Humour Me
- Market
- India
- Region
- Global
- Year
- 2026
The challenge
Counterfeit and substandard medicines are a public health risk, yet online pharmacy buyers choose mainly on price and discounts. People had no simple way to check a medicine's authenticity, and pharma communication had to clear medical, legal and regulatory review.
The idea
'Sawaal Uthao' (raise the question) turned the habit of scanning UPI payment QR codes into a way to verify medicines. Pop-ups sold deliberately 'fake' gold and milk to show how quickly people doubt everyday products, while payment-style QR codes in local stores led to a traceability microsite built on supply-chain data. Humour Me ran it across TV, outdoor, bus branding, films, social, OTT, the Tata 1mg app and on-ground activity, piloting in Bangalore before running in Bangalore and Chennai over three months.
Results
- According to the case study, 'sells genuine medicines' moved from the second to the first reason consumers gave for choosing Tata 1mg.
Case study source: Social Samosa Source ↗
Awards
- Cannes Lions 2026 Bronze (Pharma)
Credits
- Creative agency
- Humour Me
- Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Humour Me
- Dhruv Sachdeva
