For anything and everything ranging from work to information exchange to entertainment, etc., smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives. However, with this growing significance, excessive smartphone usage is adversely impacting relationships including that of spouses. 

Deliberating on this thought, vivo, the innovative global smartphone brand, today introduced the fourth edition of the #SwitchOff campaign with a thought-provoking video that illustrates how couples are missing out on being fully present in each other’s lives. The campaign is based on the finding from vivo – Cyber Media Research’s (CMR) study “Impact of Smartphones on Human Relationships 2022,” which highlights that 88% of married Indians believe that excessive smartphone use is weakening/ hurting their marriage. The study focuses on the dynamics of marital relationships in light of the pervasiveness and excessive use of smartphones.

Conceptualized by FCB India, the film has an emotionally captivating and stimulating storyline that shows how a wife has to write an email to her husband beside her to inform him about her sickness. The husband then realizes his mental absence in the relationship and the need to switch off his smartphone to be completely involved in his relationship with his wife. 

Speaking about the film, Yogendra Sriramula, Head Brand Strategy, vivo India, said, “Smartphones have permeated every aspect of life and the pandemic has only deepened its penetration. However, this is emerging as one of the stringent barriers to one-on-one human connections. Unintentionally, excessive usage of these devices is impacting the intimate relationship we share with our partners. Even while we may be physically present with them, our minds are always indulged in our phones, resulting in decreased attention towards our partner. The fourth edition of the ‘Switch off’ campaign is vivo’s effort to raise awareness and initiate a dialogue on how excessive smartphone use by spouses is harming their relationships with their better halves. This heart-touching and eye-opening film depicts the changing relationship dynamics of married couples along with their addiction/dependence on their smartphones.”

As a responsible brand, vivo endeavors to sensitize the users, especially married couples on the importance of prioritising quality time with their partner over quantity.

Adding to that, Abhinav Kaushik, President FCB India, said, “While technology has been an enabler for a lot of things in our lives, the all-pervasive nature of technology has also started to intrude our lives & relationships. When we are spending too much time on the phone, we are in a way isolating the people around ourselves and compromising the human relationships. The technology should get people to come close and not create distances in relationships. ‘Switch Off’ by Vivo is a bold campaign that is not just a message but an attempt at recognizing the problem and creating ‘an act not an ad’ that encourages people to switch on human connections while switching off their device. The spousal relationship and the emotion between the couple forms for an eye-opening story that most of us can relate to.”

vivo recently announced the findings of the fourth edition of the study titled ‘Impact of Smartphones on Human Relationships 2022’, which showcases the impact of excessive usage of smartphones on married couples and its effect on their relationships. The study highlights that · on average, a notable 4.7 hours are spent on a smartphone per day by respondents and this is similar across husbands and wives. A significant 73% of respondents revealed that their spouse complained about their overindulgence on the phone instead of spending time with him/her.

Link to the ad.