To mark World Breastfeeding Week, Philips India has launched the #GiftOfFreedom campaign, accompanied by its latest innovation: the Philips Avent Hands-Free Electric Breast Pump.

The device is built around an insight: 85% of mothers want hands-free solutions that make their breastfeeding journey less restrictive.

With hospital-grade performance and a quiet motor that mimics a baby’s natural rhythm, the pump delivers up to 85 suctions per minute. Its SkinSense silicone shields are designed to gently adapt to the breast, with 99% of mothers reporting a soft and natural experience.

To spotlight this innovation, Philips has partnered with designer and actor Masaba Gupta, a new mom herself, as the face of the campaign. 

Furthermore, the brand has rolled out a campaign #GiftOfFreedom, conceptualised by LiquidSpear Experiences, featuring Gupta. The campaign comprises an ad film. 

The film opens with Masaba Gupta letting viewers in on “the secret”- a heartfelt tribute to mothers everywhere especially her own and how her mother got through it as a single parent. In collaboration with Philips Avent, she unveils the game-changing Hands-Free Breast Pump, celebrating the freedom, comfort, and confidence it brings to every mom’s journey.

In addition, the company has also joined hands with Apollo Cradle & Children’s Hospital to provide free lactation counselling for new mothers, underscoring its long-standing commitment to maternal care in India, where two in three moms say they struggle to find even an hour for themselves each day.

At the Mumbai launch, Manifest spoke to Smit Janak Shukla, consumer marketing lead, Philips Personal Health ISC Zone, about the thinking behind the campaign, innovation in women’s health, a different view on audience metrics and more. 

Edited excerpts: 

What insights at Philips India made this the right moment to launch a hands-free, electric wearable breast pump?

The insight has been around for a good two to three years. What took time was developing a product that’s genuinely superior to everything else out there. We weren’t interested in launching just another hands-free breast pump unless it was truly a step ahead. So, what makes it different? For one, it closely mimics a baby’s natural suction rhythm. And second, 99% of mothers who’ve tried it say it fits seamlessly with zero comfort issues. These are the two biggest factors that drive a mom’s choice, and we knew we had to get them right. We weren’t looking for a quick launch. We were aiming for the best in class, something that feels as natural and comfortable as wearing one's daily clothes. 

Was consumer testing part of the process, and how important was it in shaping a product that’s both credible and genuinely impactful for mothers?

Yes, we engaged with mothers from both tier one and tier two cities and interacted with a wide base of consumers while the product was still in development. We gathered their insights, took their feedback, and tested whether the product was delivering on what they needed. A lot of these claims are backed by studies conducted here in India. That's why we have done extensive testing and validation - so we could stand behind the product with confidence and call it hospital-grade. Our goal was to create something global in quality, but rooted in Indian realities. And that is exactly why having a focus group was such a key part of the process.

What does the marketing mix look like for this launch? 

The media mix is almost entirely digital, but it's strongly supported by our offline healthcare professionals (HCP) ecosystem. We have a dedicated field force of 25 people who cover around 1,000 hospitals, regularly meeting with gynaecologists and paediatricians. Our data clearly shows that moms rely on two key sources when making decisions: healthcare professionals and their circle, mainly friends and word-of-mouth. That’s why our marketing strategy leans on both word of mouth and digital. For digital, we're going creator-first and focusing on user-generated content, while our HCP team continues to drive trust on the ground.

The goal is to deliver content that feels authentic and relatable; that’s what drives retention. It’s not just about generating traffic; it’s about reaching the right consumers with content that resonates. That’s our biggest priority.

Masaba Gupta, as the representative, brings both cultural capital and personal relevance to this launch. How is this partnership structured? Is she the face of just this campaign or a longer brand relationship?

We partnered with Masaba Gupta specifically for the #GiftOfFreedom campaign and the launch of our new hands-free electric breast pump. Gupta was the right choice; she genuinely lives by the values of authenticity and relatability, which are exactly what we want the brand to stand for.

When we were brainstorming the right person to lead this launch, it came down to finding someone whose ethos matched ours. We were looking for someone real, someone who’s navigated the complexities of life on her terms. Masaba ticks all those boxes; she's an entrepreneur, a fashion designer, an actor, and now a new mom managing both a household and multiple businesses. She represents the new age Indian mother who is multifaceted, grounded, and unapologetically herself.

There’s no smoke screen with her; what you see is what you get. And that’s exactly what consumers are craving today. If they sense realness and find your values relatable, they’ll listen. And in today’s cluttered world, attention is currency. Marketers can only earn through genuine content and authentic partnerships. That’s the core of this collaboration.

How does the brand plan to turn the initial buzz into long-term trust and conversion through the momfluencers who were part of the event? 

The creators who were at the event will put out a lot of content, but we’re going beyond that. We’re also activating a wave of user-generated content from real users of the product. Their perspective matters, regardless of how many followers they have. That’s the point. UGC is important to us because it’s often the most authentic and relatable voice out there.

With category boundaries blurring, grooming, health, and parenting, are you looking at building Philips as more of a lifestyle brand in India? 

We’re staying sharply focused on our core. Rather than spreading ourselves thin, we want to go deep in the areas we know best - grooming, beauty, and mother and child care. The goal isn’t to do a hundred things and get five right. It’s to choose five, excel at them, lead the market, and deliver best-in-class solutions that truly solve problems for consumers.

Recently, a Snapchat report was rolled out wherein they shared that quality attention should be a metric rather than view-through rates. What’s your take? 

Attention is quickly becoming the only metric that matters, and the only way to earn it is through content that truly resonates. Whether marketers are speaking to Gen Z or Gen Alpha, everything needs to be content-first. If your content isn’t disruptive or different, it won’t stick. Like the YouTuber MrBeast says, “If you don’t have a Purple Cow, you’re invisible”.

The key question is: what’s the one thing you’re doing differently that’ll make people stop and watch?

Take our shavers launch in April, one of our senior leaders, Vidyut Kaul, vice president - head of growth region, Philips, went on stage, blindfolded, and shaved using our product while comparing it to a regular razor. That kind of bold contrast made a statement. 

We believe in show, don’t tell. And that moment with Kaul blew up online. People were saying, “Elon didn’t get it right with Tesla, but Philips nailed it!”