Even though the closest interpretation for the word ‘Harda Saaskhiya’ would be ‘conscience’, for a Sri Lankan, ‘Harda Saaskhiya’ carries a deeper connotation. It’s not so much a word as it is a concept; a concept that denotes respect, being true to your conscience, soul and spirit.

Certain Sinhala words like ‘Harda Saakshiya’ cannot be translated into English without losing its meaning – and attempting to make any sense of it would be an exercise in futility.

This kind of insight has been the thinking behind some of Sarva’s most innovative and outstanding campaigns over the years which have won them popular and critical acclaim in the advertising world. Thus, the campaign Sarva carried out for Union Assurance with the concept of ‘Harda Saakshiya’ was a success due to the very fact that it spoke to the conscience of everyday people, via a more grassroots approach.

By principle, Sarva avoids conceptualizing in English, translating it all to Sinhala and then expecting everyone to understand what is being said – which is why the ‘Harda Saakshiya’ campaign turned out to be such a landmark in local corporate communication. It has struck a chord with the common man, and resonated with the ordinary people of this country who largely comprise our client’s customer base.

A series of TV commercials (TVCs), billboards and radio spots that ran under this theme helped associate the Union Assurance brand with the term Harda Saakshiya in an unprecedentedly powerful manner.

Besides being a ‘feel-good’ commercial, the entire campaign took the Union Assurance brand new to newer and greater heights – a claim backed by the brand value of the company shooting up by a staggering Rs. 400 million following the campaign – from a brand value of Rs. 876 million in 2009 to a value of Rs. 1.2 billion after the campaign breaking s.

(The value of a brand is measured through a scientific approach by taking into consideration factors such as brand visibility, what the brand has achieved in terms of popularity and other aspects which are accessed via consumer research. In addition to brand value, a rank and a rating are also given to a brand as a result of this process.)

After the campaign, people had even started associating the brand with the line ‘Harda Saakshiya,’ because it was something they could relate to and identify with.