Case Study: How Tira turned auto-rickshaws into beauty hotspots this Women’s day

To mark International Women’s Day 2024, Reliance Retail’s beauty platform Tira launched a multi-city activation titled ‘Rick Pics with Tira’. The campaign centred around a familiar aspect of urban Indian life, commuting in auto-rickshaws, and explored the intersection of mobility, beauty routines, and social content creation.

The initiative deployed branded rickshaws across high-footfall areas in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, encouraging women to take and share selfies, referred to as 'Rick Pics,' during their commutes. Through influencer-led content, user-generated posts, and an on-ground presence that integrated with store-based activations, the campaign aimed to drive engagement around beauty challenges faced on the move.

Executed largely through Instagram, the campaign generated over 17 million views and was supported by more than 30 influencer partnerships. It focused on relatable narratives, such as applying makeup in transit or improvising beauty routines in limited spaces, using humour and cultural references to create shareable content. Here is a case study on it.

Category Introduction

India’s beauty and personal care market is undergoing a rapid transformation, propelled by a new generation of digitally native consumers, increased disposable income, and evolving definitions of self-care. Estimated at over $15 billion in 2023, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6–7% over the next five years. Social media has emerged as a key driver in shaping consumer behaviour, influencing purchase decisions, and creating cultural moments around beauty. For modern Indian women, particularly in metro cities, beauty routines now extend beyond the dressing table and are intricately woven into their on-the-go lifestyles.

Brand introduction

Tira, the beauty retail platform from Reliance Retail, operates across both online and offline channels and offers a mix of products from global, domestic, and emerging beauty brands. Its digital presence is anchored in content that aims to be relatable and inclusive, with a focus on social media-led engagement. The platform frequently collaborates with creators and runs topical campaigns to build visibility and encourage consumer interaction.

Brief summary of the campaign

The brand's Women's Day campaign, 'Rick Pics with Tira,' celebrated the everyday beauty moments and relatable experiences of women commuting in auto-rickshaws. With a nod to the universal love for taking selfies in rickshaws, the campaign encouraged women to share their own Rick Pics in Tira-branded autos. Through humorous and engaging content highlighting beauty challenges on the move, like smudging lipstick or battling wind-blown hair, Tira aimed to spark user-generated content (UGC) and drive high engagement via shares and saves.

The brand launched 'Rick Pics with Tira', a fun, visually arresting campaign that took over the streets of Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi with bold pink Tira Rickshaws. By transforming traditional auto-rickshaws into mobile beauty hubs, the brand celebrated the everyday hustle of urban women, and the relatable chaos of doing your makeup on the move. The campaign encouraged users to take selfies or 'Rick Pics' in these rickshaws and share them on Instagram, sparking widespread participation and visibility. With over 30 influencer collaborations, strategic activations at high-footfall areas, and over 10 million impressions, the campaign drove massive awareness, strong engagement, and a cultural moment rooted in beauty-on-the-go.

Problem Statement / Objective

The brand's objective was to create a culturally resonant, women-first campaign for International Women’s Day that:

  • Tapped into a universally relatable experience, navigating beauty rituals while commuting in rickshaws.

  • Elevated an everyday struggle (catching a ride in busy Indian metros) into a positive, empowering, and brand-led moment.

  • Increased brand awareness and positioned Tira as an integral part of the modern Indian woman’s lifestyle.

  • Boosted Instagram engagement via shares, saves, and user-generated content.

  • Encouraged influencer participation and community storytelling.

  • Showcased the brand's offline + online synergy by bridging the campaign into a store-based activation.

Brief

The brand's in-house creative team was tasked with conceptualising a campaign that could cut through the Women's Day clutter, spark engagement, and strengthen brand affinity. The brief focused on tapping into a relatable moment in the everyday life of women, commuting in rickshaws, and giving it a beauty-forward, empowering twist. The campaign needed to:

  • Capture the humorous yet real beauty challenges women face while commuting.

  • Leverage nostalgia and the cultural familiarity of rickshaw rides.

  • Encourage widespread user-generated content via a simple, visual call-to-action, 'Post your Rick Pic.'

  • Create an on-ground presence that turned everyday commutes into social media-worthy moments.

  • Maintain Tira’s fun, bold, and inclusive tone of voice.

Creative Idea

'Rick Pics with Tira' brought together the chaos and charm of Indian city life with the beauty rituals women master on the move. The idea reimagined rickshaws, notorious for their bumpy rides and wind-blown selfies, as mobile content hubs and beauty zones. With striking Tira branding and influencer-led storytelling, the campaign turned commutes into content.

The campaign took a witty, true-to-life look at the everyday beauty rituals women master while commuting in rickshaws, from touch-ups in traffic to full routines on the move. By highlighting humorous and highly relatable moments, such as struggling to apply lipstick, using the rickshaw mirror for last-minute touch-ups, or catching the perfect selfie in natural lighting, the campaign connected deeply with its audience. These daily beauty struggles were transformed into shared experiences and relatable content, amplified through Instagram Reels and Stories.

Execution

Influencer Collaborations
Tira partnered with over 30 influencers including Sai Godbole, Akshara Shivakumar, Onella Rodrigues, and members of the Tira Tribe like Tanya Gupta and Shaleen Khergamwala. Each created playful Reels and Stories showing their rickshaw beauty routines, from smudged lipstick fixes to impromptu mirror checks.

Thought Leader Integration
Beauty entrepreneurs Diipa Khosla (Inde Wild) and Namrata Soni (Simply Nam) also joined the conversation, sharing their take on juggling beauty, business, and movement, infusing the campaign with credibility and inspiration.

UGC Push
The CTA 'Spot the Tira Rick' encouraged audiences to share their own Rick Pics, tagging Tira and using the campaign hashtag. Posts and stories were circulated widely, creating a loop of social proof and participation.

Branded Rickshaw Activation

  • Nine rickshaws hit the streets across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi, decked out in bold pink visuals and beauty-themed decals.

  • Locations were chosen to cover buzzing neighbourhoods, college campuses, and shopping districts (e.g. Mumbai’s Western suburbs, Indira Nagar in Bengaluru, Hauz Khas in Delhi).

  • The Rickshaw Experience Zone at Jio World Drive (Mumbai) became a selfie hotspot. Users who posted Rick Pics from there could walk into the Tira store and redeem a beauty freebie, integrating offline engagement with digital virality.

Digital

  • The campaign was organically led with minimal ad spend, allowing influencer content and UGC to drive reach.

  • Wrap2Earn Advertising Agency executed the activation across three cities under tight timelines, ensuring consistent branding and high-visibility routes.

Results

Quantitative:

  • 17 million+ total views

  • 10 million+ total reach across Instagram through influencer content, reposts, and organic UGC

  • 30+ influencer partnerships activated in just a week

  • Thousands of impressions and engagements across social media via shares, saves, and Rick Pics

  • Increased store footfall linked to Rickshaw-led activations

Qualitative:

  • Created a cultural connect by spotlighting real, everyday beauty moments

  • Strengthened brand perception as relatable and in tune with women’s lived experiences

  • Reinforced Tira’s position as a beauty brand integrated into mobile, modern lifestyles

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