Come join the pure air lover (p.a.l) movement. This is the message from Asia’s fifth largest and India’s largest wind turbine maker Suzlon through its latest campaign for India. The campaign directs users to an online platform www.pals.in where they can engage in a dialogue on protecting the environment. The broader objective is to take the company’s philosophy, wind energy is clean energy, one step ahead.
The campaign has been necessitated by a changing business landscape. “The mindset of our customers — from multinationals to international companies — is evolving. While choosing a business partner, our customers now want to engage with a company with a higher objective,” says Dharini Mishra, global brand head, Suzlon Group.
Corporate social responsibility campaigns seem to be everywhere these days — take IBM’s Smarter Planet campaign or Honda’s Hate Something Change Something. “Besides signifying leadership status, such initiatives help a brand attract the right kind of talent and create a certain perception among journalists and the investor community at large,” claims Aditya Kanthy, senior vice-president (planning), DDB Mudra.
In the estimated 25,000 mega-watt Indian renewable power generation market (which includes solar, bio-mass and wind energy), Suzlon is the leader in wind energy with 50 per cent share. However, competition is heating up with rivals General Electric Wind, Vestas, Enercon and Gamesa upping the ante. “Despite being the leader, the Suzlon brand does not command the same kind of perception that many rival firms do,” says an investment analyst who does not wish to be named.
The company believes its new campaign will help speak to India’s large youth population in a language that they understand. While an initial teaser campaign helped kick off the exercise, a burst of advertising spanning television, print, outdoor and digital will take the message closer to the masses. The communication will also cover cyber cafes, mobile advertising and online display advertising. “Today’s youth are active participants in cause-related marketing and will champion this cause,” says Mishra.
Observers say while Lowe Lintas’ Mary Poppins-like communication design will help the campaign stand out, its success will depend on how well the company takes the idea forward. According to Kanthy of DDB Mudra, the microsite which forms the core of the campaign needs to be leveraged effectively. “It needs to be entertaining and give people enough reason to go to the site and spend time there,” adds Kanthy.
Suzlon, on its part, is taking the necessary steps. For instance, the website has a ‘Gaadhi bandh pledge’ (turn off the vehicle pledge) educating users to switch off car engines at traffic signals. The company is working to introduce tools like ‘Calculate your carbon footprint’ to drive engagement. “We will engage with audiences in schools and offices and speak to them on steps to green up their lives,” says Mishra.
But that might not be enough. Sudarshan Banerjee, head, Ignite Mudra, cites Tata Tea’s Jaago Re campaign that did an excellent job in building brand salience by urging the society at large to exercise its rights and vote. The campaign not only generated awareness for a problem — people staying away from polling booths for various reasons — but also provided an easy solution on the campaign website.