Cause marketing is the use of business-like marketing tools to promote a social cause. It’s objective could be to create awareness for a social cause or raise support for a social organization.
Cause marketing in India is in a very nascent stage but there are a few very interesting success stories.
Teach for India
Teach for India (TFI), India chapter of Teach for America was started in 2008.
TFI recruits outstanding college graduates and young professionals to teach in low income schools for two years.
TFI is a social-brand the youth want to connect to. What has made TFI fellowship a cult?
Strategic visibility – Campus, Fest, Office notice board, Cafes, Canteens, Malls, Social media – you name it and TFI is there. TFI has managed to get visibility at all potential strategic youth touchpoints.
TFI ambassadors – TFI has build an army of about 300 campus ambassadors and 200 young professionals who promote TFI fellowships on campuses and workplaces.
Right incentives – Setting the right incentives is by far the most important factor determining the success of a campaign. TFI has incentivised the fellowship in just the right manner. TFI fellowship experience is considered (read: priority) in B-schools and leading consulting firms.
Jaago Re
Just before the 2009 general elections when political parties were gearing up with their campaigns, Tata Tea and Janaagraha launched ‘Jaago Re'. A campaign to sensitize Indian citizens about their responsibility to exercise their right to vote.
More than 6 lac people registered and the campaign was an instant hit. What clicked?
The right punch – “Election ke din, agar aap vote nahin kar rahe ho, to aap so rahe ho” (If you are not casting the vote on election day, you are sleeping). This was an immediate connect with the billions frustrated with corrupt politicians.
The right time – In India, elections is like a grand festival. Months before the d-day people talk about elections at every formal forum and rural tea stalls alike. Jaago Re got its subject and timing right.
Nationwide publicity – Having a strong brand like Tata helped the campaign to reach out the masses with print, radio, television and web ads. Larger the reach higher the chance of success or failure.
Janaagraha recently launched I Paid a Bribe
Save our Tigers
The initial ‘Save Our Tigers – Only 1411 Left’ campaign was severely criticized for a missing call to action. The Aircel WWF mega campaign was everywhere on TV, print, radio and web. But something was missing - Ok, I am concerned about our tigers. What do I do next? The campaign had no answer.
Despite all criticism the campaign raised significant awareness about our tigers becoming extinct and the need to take action.
At a recently organized telethon fundraiser in collaboration with NDTV it raised about 5 crores in 12 hours.
What worked in this campaign?
Celeb factor – Aircel roped in celebrities like cricketer M S Dhoni and actor Amitabh Bachchan for the campaign. Celebrities like these do make a significant difference in atleast registering the message in people’s minds.
Emotional connect – Story of a little cub who awaits her mother, who might not come back. With stories like these and a call to action for the citizens to play their role made a difference. In a country like India where a tiger is a prey – for pride or for defence, it is about changing the perception while asking people to ‘save’ our tigers.
Wide publicity – Here again, aggressive publicity on all media platforms was a key factor. The wide outreach in this case was also responsible to bring a lot of criticism initially.
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