New Delhi, 28 October 2024.

Building on its ongoing efforts to prioritize user safety, WhatsApp today unveiled a unique music video as part of its privacy campaign featuring actor Abhay Deol. The video is a musical remake of the iconic track “Oye Lucky LuckyOye” and aims to drive awareness around how people can safeguard themselves against scams on WhatsApp.

Created with BBDO India, the campaign uses nostalgia to drive home the importance of scam awareness, showcasing how users can utilize WhatsApp’s privacy features and safety tools that empower them to take control of their safety and stay protected from scams. 

The visually immersive rendition captures the audience’s attention by portraying relatable situations of common online scams people face in their day to day lives such as fake job offers, impersonation fraud, and OTP scams, underscoring the importance of being cautious before taking any action while educating users on WhatsApp's multiple layers of protection. You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/P4nX6F9XtLs 

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, actor Abhay Deol said, “It's been an amazing experience to bring back the nostalgia of ‘Oye Lucky LuckyOye’ in a new, exciting way. Working on this iconic track again and seeing it come alive with a fresh twist was truly special. Partnering with WhatsApp makes it even more meaningful because we’re not just entertaining – we’re also educating people about online safety. I hope everyone enjoys the music and takes away valuable tips to stay safe from scams!”

Vyom Prashant, Director, Consumer Marketing at Meta, commented, “Privacy and Safety are synonymous in today’s online world and our goal is to make sure we keep user safety at the center of everything we do at WhatsApp. Through this music video, we wanted to create something memorable that resonates with our users, and reinforces consumer habits that make WhatsApp’s safety tools second nature for people, this rendition of Oye Lucky does exactly that.”

Reflecting on the creative rendition of the music video, Josy Paul, BBDO India, said, “We set out to educate consumers on how they can avoid scams with the help of WhatsApp’s privacy and safety features. Our idea of reworking a catchy Bollywood song like ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ was to use the power of music to convey a strong message that’ll help people relate to the moments that we collectively face in our lives. A big salute to director Nikhil Rao, choreographer Ruel and actor Abhay Deol for turning scam warnings into something you can dance to.” 

This initiative builds on WhatsApp’s privacy campaign launched earlier in July to promote user safety and equipping people with the tools and knowledge to safeguard their online presence, through the following features showcased in the video:

• Silence Unknown Callers - Designed to give you more privacy and control of your incoming calls. It helps to automatically screen out spam, scams, and calls from unknown people for increased protection. These calls will not ring on your phone, but will be visible in your Call list, in case it turns out to be someone important.
• Two-Step Verification: WhatsApp allows users to add an extra layer of security to their account by enabling the Two-Step Verification feature, which requires a six-digit PIN when resetting and verifying your WhatsApp account. This is helpful in case a SIM card gets stolen or if the phone is compromised. 
• Block and report unwanted contacts: You can block accounts with ease and report any spammy or suspicious messages. Plus, if you need to keep evidence of those  messages, WhatsApp's got an option to save them on your phone. WhatsApp also shares additional context with users when they receive a message from an unknown sender – If you receive a message from an unknown sender, WhatsApp will provide users the option to block them, with additional details such as groups in common, along with safety tools if you need to take action.
• Meta Verified: helps customers recognize trusted businesses on WhatsApp so that you’re confident that you’re chatting with the right business. Verified business accounts have been authenticated using a multi-step verification process to help you know that businesses you interact and message with are legitimate.