Godawan Crafts a Bustard Film Over 15,000 Patient Hours

Godawan, the premium water brand from Diageo India, has turned its conservation story into a handmade stop-motion film called The Godawan, launched during World Wildlife Week. Studio Eeksaurus produced the film, while 22feet and McCann India—both part of Omnicom Advertising India—directed and conceptualised it.

01 · A craft project, not a quick render

The production was deliberately slow. It took 15,000 hours, more than 100 artists, and 5,200 Jaipur Blue Pottery-inspired ceramic pieces to bring the story to life. Each ceramic composition was physically made, arranged and photographed by hand. The film combines handcrafted stop-motion, 2D animation and live action, and every part of the eight-month-plus process—from story and music to art and post-production—was made in India.

That patience is the idea. The soundtrack draws from Rajasthani folk traditions and regional instruments including the Ravanahatha and Morchang. It was created by Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, Grammy-winning percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, and national award winner Rajat Dholakia.

02 · Conservation milestones become brand proof

The Great Indian Bustard, once in contention to be India’s national bird, is the backbone of Godawan’s brand platform. Since 2022, the label has turned recovery milestones into collectible releases and experiences:

• Godawan 100 in 2023 marked the milestone rise in numbers to 100 birds.
• Durbar in 2024 became a platform for Rajasthan’s culture, music, food and craft.
• Godawan 173: The Collector’s Edition in 2025 commemorated the population recovery with 173 individually crafted bottles inspired by Jaipur Blue Pottery.

On World Environment Day earlier this year, the bird’s revival story was projected onto the Qutub Minar. The film extends that public storytelling.

03 · Why the craft matters

Ruchira Jaitly, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo India, said the choice to work by hand was deliberate. “At a time when almost anything can be created in seconds, we chose to take the time to make this by hand. That human touch is what this story of conservation needed.”

Studio Eeksaurus co-founder and director Suresh Eriyat linked the method to the cause. “The time it took, the ceramics, the filmmaking process, all of it was built for this one story, and it asked for patience at every step, the same patience it takes to protect an egg or rebuild a population.”

McCann India chief creative officer Rahul Mathew made the village parallel. “To tell the story of the Godawan and its conservation using the medium of Jaipur Blue Pottery was painstaking, but also very rewarding. Much like the conservation itself.”

04 · What brand leaders can take from it

The lesson is not simply to use more craft. It is that a purpose claim becomes more defensible when the product, packaging, cultural platform and creative craft all point to the same measurable story. Godawan has done that by naming the brand after the bird, then marking each conservation milestone with a release or experience.

The watch-out is discipline. A film like this only works if a brand is willing to fund slow craft, local artisans and original music, and to keep the product clearly linked to the cause. The patience in the production mirrors the patience conservation demands—and that consistency is hard to copy quickly.

Source: MediaNews4U

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.