Cashify, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling used smartphones, has launched a new campaign titled ‘Phone Wala Shagun’, aimed at encouraging smartphone resale by linking it with a common cultural tradition — the Indian wedding.
The campaign replaces the usual exchange of cash in wedding settings with old smartphones. Through a fictional scenario, it imagines moments such as the groom wearing a garland of old phones and guests gifting used devices instead of envelopes of money. The concept is presented as humorous, with the intention of associating unused phones with potential cash value.
The campaign is currently running on Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Meta. It is timed ahead of the festive season to drive new user acquisition, promote first-time resale behaviour, and build cultural recall around the act of reselling old smartphones.
According to Cashify, over 300 million users in India qualify for smartphone upgrades annually, but many devices remain unused. Phone Wala Shagun aims to address this trend by encouraging consumers to see old phones as a source of financial value.
At the centre of the campaign is a short film set at an Indian wedding, depicting a series of phone-based exchanges in place of money. The story concludes with a reminder that unused smartphones still carry worth.
Nakul Kumar, Co-founder & CMO of Cashify, said, “India doesn’t have a resale problem. It has a mindset problem. People don’t think of old phones as assets. With this campaign, we’re not just flipping a cultural tradition, we’re reframing how people see value. Our long-term vision is to embed resale into everyday decision-making. Resale shouldn’t be reactive, it should be reflexive. A default part of the digital ownership journey. This campaign is the first step in making that shift mainstream.”
Cashify worked with Dhindora Media, a content and storytelling studio, to develop the campaign and ensure cultural relevance.
Jai Sahni of Dhindora Media said, “Cracking this idea was no easy feat. Phone resale is a tricky category. It doesn’t naturally lend itself to everyday, relatable moments. We kept digging until a simple, quirky thought clicked: weddings are full of cash exchanges... what if, instead of cash, people started gifting their old phones? That became the spark for this film. It was a joy collaborating with the team at Cashify to bring this idea to life, right from scripting to execution. Always exciting when a brand is willing to have fun while solving a real problem.”
'Phone Wala Shagun' follows Cashify’s earlier content initiative Lie Hard and marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to position resale as a more routine part of digital consumption. The company plans to continue this direction through 2025, with more campaigns focused on everyday life and festive occasions.
Cashify states that its focus remains on creating a resale experience built on speed, data safety, and convenience, while also seeking to shift public perception and embed resale more deeply into consumer behaviour.
