Can the spirit of patriotism make you buy products online? ProudIndians hopes so
So what did you do this Independence Day to show your love for the country? If you didn’t do much, then you are among the vast majority of Indians who don’t think anything much about these days apart from them being public holidays. But, for Shreya Bhartia, 15th August was the day to launch her long cherished dream of ProudIndians, an online site that is banking on the idea of patriotism to attract customers and sell to them the products that will be branded on patriotic fervor. Some plans of the proceeds from the sale will go to the welfare of jawans and farmers.
Launched five days back, ProudIndians is the brainchild of Shreya, who has in the past worked as a brand consultant. “I am ardent admirer of Lal Bahadur Shastri’s slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” and have been involved with the armed forces, ProudIndians is my way to pay tribute to the real nation builders,” she says. At this point, ProudIndians sells t-shirts and has plans to add more products to its kitty along the way.
We asked her how will her site be different from many others who already sell patriotic gear online. Shreya is convinced they can make a difference by appealing to the patriotic sentiments of Indians. “We want to glorify our Indian Armed Forces so that the youth can identify with them as a brand and pay homage to their great sacrifices. In the end we want patriotism to become an integral part for the youth rather than being limited to 15th of August and 26th January. We will also be working closely with ESM (Ex-Service Men) organizations to help raise awareness regarding their issues of pending pensions. We also plan to work with farmer organizations to highlight ground level issues,” she says of her ambitions.
From 360-degree digital marketing plans to tying up with offline retailers, Shreya has many plans to ensure ProudIndians is more than just an idea. Her target market she says is the large youth population of our country. “Indians are slowly awakening to their rich heritage and we want to encourage that. Indian youth residing in Tier I and Tier II cities as well as youngsters who are part of the armed forces are our potential target customers,” she says. They also have plans to work closely with ESM (Ex-Service Men) organizations to help raise awareness regarding their issues and work with farmer organizations.While the intentions are noble, the success of the venture will need more than just a patriotic fervor. We wish ProudIndians all the best!