When Social Goes Social
One
Facebook ‘like’ or ‘share’ cannot change the world. So digital world
inhabitants are looking to move beyond the ‘like’ only business to more
meaningful associations that include trying to light up villages, reduce
corruption, quit smoking, and generally make the world a better place to live
in. So, what does it take to make slacktivist dreams come true?
During
an internal brainstorming session, digital agency FoxyMoron hit upon an
interesting thought. The brief was to come up with strategies to push certain
key product lines like PowerLight from Garnier Men. The team came up with the
idea of "super human light" or solar light to illuminate a village as
the key idea to market the face wash brand. When the agency presented this
concept, the client was even more excited and decided to make it the brand's
main platform for the year. Almost half of the total annual digital budget was
parked for this initiative. Currently in the second month, the campaign will
run for 12 months. Two villages have benefitted so far, one each in Maharashtra
and Rajasthan.
Brands are realising fast that it pays to be good. And doing so also helps break the clutter. In a country rife with governmental apathy and indifference, there's a smorgasbord of worthy causes to pick from. Many of the recent campaigns launched on digital media have been pegged on social welfare. These include Lifebuoy's 'Help A Child Reach 5', Halls' 'Breathe The Change' and Hit's 'War Against Malaria'. Says Joseph George, CEO, Lowe Lintas, "If a brand is seeking public participation, social media is tailor-made for it. And for any brand to be successful with its social cause agenda, public participation is a must." Adds Punitha Arumugam, director - agency business, Google India, "With over a 150 million consumers, digital is a mass medium and is as much about brand building as it is about ROI or engagement."
Halls 'Breathe the Change' is linked to the brand's promise of unlocking the power of breath. Consumers are invited to help install a windmill in a village without electricity. To achieve this, the brand has deployed a number of online platforms like a specially created website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, IVR, etc along with offline media like mall activation, TV and radio. Shares Narayan Sundararaman, category director - beverages, candy & gum and director - consumer insights & strategy, at Mondelez International, "From a brand point of view, owning a larger than life cause or space helps strengthen equity by having a greater meaning and role in a consumer's life." So far 1.9 lakh breaths have been collected in 5 weeks, and the engagement will continue through the fulfilment stage as well, he shares. Eventually one windmill is to be installed per village.
In the case of 'PowerLight A Village', Garnier Men's over 1 million fans on Facebook are getting to contribute virtually to the electrification drive. Every 'like', 'share' and comment, adds a predetermined unit of energy. This will be coupled with activations on ground that will allow men to pedal bicycles that record the energy they have generated. A summation of these activities will eventually be translated into actual energy donation through solar equipment. As the final outcome, villagers will be provided with one solar lamp that also has an in-built mobile charging unit, 1 solar tube light and 1 solar panel to charge their equipment. As per Harshil Karia, co-founder and online strategist, FoxyMoron, "It is a very interesting time for social causes. There are so many concerns and each problem has its own creative solution and some of these innovative ideas are developing an aura of 'positive consumerism' within the country."
Young India understands the power of social media as a tool to bring about positive change and brands are trying to maximise the reach in a meaningful way. By connecting brands on social media with issues that matter to people who are online, brands can stay relevant and be part of the larger conversation, says Josy Paul, chairman and national creative director, BBDO India. This is a new world, and you cannot see it with old world eyes, he adds. India is a younger nation that's more aware of social goings-on and in such an environment advertising has to be the voice of society and it ought to amplify what is already in the collective consciousness. According to Abhijit Avasthi, national creative director, Ogilvy & Mather what makes the digital medium different is the ability to bring alive certain dimensions of a campaign backed by the fact that it is an interactive medium.
Social causes also help humanise brands and give them an excuse to start conversations. Says Anil K Nair, managing partner, Digital Law & Kenneth, "Arm chair activism is a big draw for consumers on social media as it helps gloss over the guilt of modern consumerism. Brands have realised the power of this trend and are hitching their bandwagons onto causes relevant to the brand proposition."
In another interesting instance of digital taking the lead with a cause, BBDO create an online non-smoking zone for Nicorette chewing gum. This was done by getting people to create a virtual smoke free zone that corresponded to places they had deemed off limits for smoking in the real world. As bedrooms, kitchens and other spaces were added, they created millions of square feet of virtual space.
However, the overbearing rider to the cause-led tsunami of campaigns is that consumers are typically more concerned with things that they find useful or entertaining rather than those that are socially relevant. From a business traction perspective such campaigns do not always deliver big results, if they are meant to deliver sales or ramp up market share in the first place. While it may sound like a cakewalk, a brand taking a social-cause led positioning can have its bunch of snares and snags and needs to be careful before it gets tied to a cause for a variety of reasons. To begin with, consumers inherently don't want brands to intrude in their lives uninvited. Furthermore, brands need to be true, transparent and consistent with the cause, else the consumer will see through the charade and it will work detrimentally, says Nair.
The other issue is about commitment. "Large part of the digital audience is the youth. While their stated and socially exalted position is one who loves causes, there are reservations about the extent to which they will put their money where their mouth is," says Sabyasachi Mitter, managing director, ibs (formerly Interface Business Solutions). In his view, "there are too many causes, too many brands each making numerous updates a week. So while in principle all these ideas are great, how effective they are in delivering real community involvement is left to question." In addition, there is no real audit run on the participation numbers for many of these brands and often the claims look too good to be true. Venkat Mallik, president, Tribal DDB and Rapp India, says, "It is fantastic that brands are increasingly looking at doing things that are socially relevant and useful. It doesn't matter that much whether brands are doing this selfishly or selflessly as long as some useful things get done."
Amit Bapna ET130424
Brands are realising fast that it pays to be good. And doing so also helps break the clutter. In a country rife with governmental apathy and indifference, there's a smorgasbord of worthy causes to pick from. Many of the recent campaigns launched on digital media have been pegged on social welfare. These include Lifebuoy's 'Help A Child Reach 5', Halls' 'Breathe The Change' and Hit's 'War Against Malaria'. Says Joseph George, CEO, Lowe Lintas, "If a brand is seeking public participation, social media is tailor-made for it. And for any brand to be successful with its social cause agenda, public participation is a must." Adds Punitha Arumugam, director - agency business, Google India, "With over a 150 million consumers, digital is a mass medium and is as much about brand building as it is about ROI or engagement."
Halls 'Breathe the Change' is linked to the brand's promise of unlocking the power of breath. Consumers are invited to help install a windmill in a village without electricity. To achieve this, the brand has deployed a number of online platforms like a specially created website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, IVR, etc along with offline media like mall activation, TV and radio. Shares Narayan Sundararaman, category director - beverages, candy & gum and director - consumer insights & strategy, at Mondelez International, "From a brand point of view, owning a larger than life cause or space helps strengthen equity by having a greater meaning and role in a consumer's life." So far 1.9 lakh breaths have been collected in 5 weeks, and the engagement will continue through the fulfilment stage as well, he shares. Eventually one windmill is to be installed per village.
In the case of 'PowerLight A Village', Garnier Men's over 1 million fans on Facebook are getting to contribute virtually to the electrification drive. Every 'like', 'share' and comment, adds a predetermined unit of energy. This will be coupled with activations on ground that will allow men to pedal bicycles that record the energy they have generated. A summation of these activities will eventually be translated into actual energy donation through solar equipment. As the final outcome, villagers will be provided with one solar lamp that also has an in-built mobile charging unit, 1 solar tube light and 1 solar panel to charge their equipment. As per Harshil Karia, co-founder and online strategist, FoxyMoron, "It is a very interesting time for social causes. There are so many concerns and each problem has its own creative solution and some of these innovative ideas are developing an aura of 'positive consumerism' within the country."
Young India understands the power of social media as a tool to bring about positive change and brands are trying to maximise the reach in a meaningful way. By connecting brands on social media with issues that matter to people who are online, brands can stay relevant and be part of the larger conversation, says Josy Paul, chairman and national creative director, BBDO India. This is a new world, and you cannot see it with old world eyes, he adds. India is a younger nation that's more aware of social goings-on and in such an environment advertising has to be the voice of society and it ought to amplify what is already in the collective consciousness. According to Abhijit Avasthi, national creative director, Ogilvy & Mather what makes the digital medium different is the ability to bring alive certain dimensions of a campaign backed by the fact that it is an interactive medium.
Social causes also help humanise brands and give them an excuse to start conversations. Says Anil K Nair, managing partner, Digital Law & Kenneth, "Arm chair activism is a big draw for consumers on social media as it helps gloss over the guilt of modern consumerism. Brands have realised the power of this trend and are hitching their bandwagons onto causes relevant to the brand proposition."
In another interesting instance of digital taking the lead with a cause, BBDO create an online non-smoking zone for Nicorette chewing gum. This was done by getting people to create a virtual smoke free zone that corresponded to places they had deemed off limits for smoking in the real world. As bedrooms, kitchens and other spaces were added, they created millions of square feet of virtual space.
However, the overbearing rider to the cause-led tsunami of campaigns is that consumers are typically more concerned with things that they find useful or entertaining rather than those that are socially relevant. From a business traction perspective such campaigns do not always deliver big results, if they are meant to deliver sales or ramp up market share in the first place. While it may sound like a cakewalk, a brand taking a social-cause led positioning can have its bunch of snares and snags and needs to be careful before it gets tied to a cause for a variety of reasons. To begin with, consumers inherently don't want brands to intrude in their lives uninvited. Furthermore, brands need to be true, transparent and consistent with the cause, else the consumer will see through the charade and it will work detrimentally, says Nair.
The other issue is about commitment. "Large part of the digital audience is the youth. While their stated and socially exalted position is one who loves causes, there are reservations about the extent to which they will put their money where their mouth is," says Sabyasachi Mitter, managing director, ibs (formerly Interface Business Solutions). In his view, "there are too many causes, too many brands each making numerous updates a week. So while in principle all these ideas are great, how effective they are in delivering real community involvement is left to question." In addition, there is no real audit run on the participation numbers for many of these brands and often the claims look too good to be true. Venkat Mallik, president, Tribal DDB and Rapp India, says, "It is fantastic that brands are increasingly looking at doing things that are socially relevant and useful. It doesn't matter that much whether brands are doing this selfishly or selflessly as long as some useful things get done."
Amit Bapna ET130424
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