Flipkart and Nothing’s new campaign via Pepper Creative turns smartphone marketing on its head

When was the last time you truly lived in the moment- without reaching for your phone? In a world where screens are a part of everyday life, Flipkart and Nothing sparked a conversation about how we engage with technology.

With the launch of Nothing’s Phone (3a) Pro on Flipkart from March 11, the platform flipped the script on smartphone marketing with ‘Don’t Buy Me’- a campaign designed to challenge conventional marketing and encourage mindful smartphone use.

Created by Pepper Creative (a unit of Pepper Content), the campaign broke away from traditional smartphone marketing. Instead of pushing specs or selling aspiration, it embraced anti-marketing—a counterintuitive approach designed to make people pause, reflect, and rethink their smartphone habits.

By advocating for responsible tech use, the campaign positioned Nothing phones as a fresh alternative in a cluttered market.

“Nothing has always positioned itself differently, and Flipkart was eager to push the messaging envelope,” says Sahil Siddiqui, Global Creative Head, Pepper Creative.

“As a platform bringing the best of technology to users, Flipkart was excited to launch a campaign that flipped conventional marketing on its head,” adds Smrithi Ravichandran, Vice President – Head of Mobiles & Travel, Flipkart.

Smartphones are indispensable, but how we use them matters. With that in mind, Flipkart and Nothing encouraged people to engage with technology more meaningfully. Instead of selling more screen time, ‘Don’t Buy Me’ intercepted real-life moments with a reminder to look up.
•The campaign spoke directly to Gen Z, urban youth, and early adopters- people who recognize their phone dependency but feel stuck in it.
• The messaging was counterintuitive- prompting people to pause and think rather than passively scroll.

Each execution was designed as a guerilla intervention, crafted to reflect real-life phone behavior:
• Print Ads: Front-page ads in Hindustan Times and Mint delivered a stark message: ‘Don’t Buy Me.’
• Traffic Signal Installations: Timed countdowns reminded people how often they check their phones mindlessly in brief moments of waiting.
• Lollapalooza Billboards: Hoardings near the venue read: ‘If you’ll pay for the ticket but still watch through your phone- Don’t Buy Me.’
• In-Flight Announcements: Passengers at 30,000 feet were reminded, ‘Your cloud pictures will look the same, but you need to feel this moment- not see it through a screen.’

“Great ideas are counterintuitive. In a market filled with predictable smartphone campaigns, my team (Nikhil and Pratyush) and I wanted to craft something that matched the anti-aesthetic of Nothing phones while still driving results for Flipkart,” adds Sahil Siddiqui, Global Creative Head, Pepper Creative. “If this campaign made even a handful of people rethink their screen habits, we’ve already won. If it also makes them buy a Nothing phone, we’ve won twice.”

The ‘Don’t Buy Me’ campaign was discussed, shared, and recognized by KOLs, many of whom organically joined the conversation. Designed to encourage mindful tech usage, the campaign sparked meaningful engagement while positioning Nothing as a differentiated brand in the smartphone space.
• Total engagement to date: 5.2 million+
• Total views to date: 180 million+
• Total reach to date: 250 million+

“The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro delivers top-tier performance, but it’s not designed to pull you in,” says Smrithi Ravichandran, Vice President – Head of Mobiles & Travel, Flipkart. “This campaign wasn’t just about selling a phone- it was about changing the way we think about them.”

Credits
Creative
Sahil ‘baba’ Siddiqui – Global Creative Head
Strategy, and effectiveness
Sahil ‘baba’ Siddiqui – Global Creative Head
Nikhil Somani – Key Account Strategic Lead
Pratyush Singh – Senior Executive, Content Strategy
Business, and partnerships
Sneha Iyer – Director, Account Management
Debdeep Banerjee – Associate Director, Account Management
Client partnering, and execution
Vrusha Mawani – Group Account Manager, Client Servicing