Flipkart explores that idea with ‘Home for Old Age Appliances’ (HOAA), a Big Billion Days campaign conceptualised by 22feet, part of Omnicom Advertising India. The film imagines a retirement home where ageing appliances can put their feet up after years of service.
Instead of the usual home-appliance advertising centred on features, upgrades and offers, HOAA gives these everyday products personalities, quirks and a place of their own. The idea is rooted in a familiar Indian habit: repairing and patching up appliances long after they have stopped working properly rather than replacing them.
Flipkart turns that behaviour into a simple question — if these appliances have spent years looking after our homes, what would a home made for them look like? HOAA is the playful answer, reframing the Big Billion Days exchange offer as a thoughtful handover rather than just another transaction. Consumers can also avail of an exchange bonus over and above the exchange value during the sale.
“At some point we realised that people also connect emotionally to their appliances. That’s one of the reasons that people are always a little hesitant to upgrade. We wanted to speak to this behaviour, but with a typical Flipkart take. So we asked ourselves what if your beloved appliance wants being discarded and instead it went to a happy place instead. And the Home for Old Age Appliances was born. Then came the exaggeration and the jokes pretty much wrote themselves,” said Vishnu Srivatsav, Chief Creative Experience Officer, 22feet.
The idea also moved beyond the screen with an experiential activation at North Studio, Mumbai, on October 3 and 4. Visitors could step into the fictional retirement home, complete with a recreation area, themed bar and wellness space designed around the peculiar needs of ageing appliances.
Appliances that make strange noises were given a karaoke zone, laptops got a yoga space to stay flexible in retirement, while mixers found a place where nobody would ask them to lower their voice. The experience ended with a photo opportunity, giving visitors a keepsake from their visit.
Through HOAA, Flipkart turns a familiar exchange proposition into a story about the appliances that have been part of households for years — and gives them, quite literally, a place to retire.
