Brief Explanation

THE CHALLENGE JK Tyre, a long-standing client of ours, is a leading manufacturer in the automotive industry of the country. Their portfolio covers a range of radial and non-radial tyres for light vehicles like cars to heavy vehicles like trucks. Being a typically low-involvement category, where customers come only when tyres needs to be replaced, the challenge facing JK Tyre was the need for a strong groundswell about the brand. How could we involve people, get the brand talked about and push it to the top of their consciousness? And what could get media to cover the brand and generate a positive PR buzz which was not about a high-spend corporate campaign or spin-doctoring? The answer lay in an issue that will, at some point in time, affect every citizen: scrap tyres. THE ISSUE The number of discarded, scrap tyres in India has shot up to 88 million in about 3 years. With indiscriminate, unscientific ways of disposing them, the threat to the environment has escalated manifold. Even more disturbing, is that this issue is hardly ever spoken about. But rather than another awareness campaign that would come and go, JK Tyre was looking for ‘change that lasts’. Could there be a novel way of recycling that would appeal to the constituency who will be affected the most in future: India’s youth? THE SOLUTION The idea we came up with went inherently beyond passive, traditional TV and print media: to convert what was unwanted to the highly desirable. We proposed to turn scrap tyres into lifestyle products! The rubber from the tyres would be used to create couture footwear and fashion accessories. And who would partner us in this project? Not known fashion houses and designers, but the youth of the country. We selected 100 promising students of the Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI), Asia’s leading footwear college, who then participated in a week-long workshop. The best designs across categories were chosen and showcased, on the occasion of Earth Day, in what was a unique fashion show-cum-press event at the capital: ‘Soles with Souls’. THE RESULTS The response to the initiative turned out to be as spontaneous as it was media-heavy. Over 60,000 Facebook views. Reportage in 24 leading dailies and 5 national TV channels. Free media exposure worth Rs 30 lacs. Hundreds of posts on YouTube, Twitter and blogs. It had evidently struck a deep chord.