Results and Effectiveness

Closeup tagged 1 million children and elderly. Nearly 300,000 people were lost during MahaKumbh 2013. Out of the 165,000 people reunited, Closeup was responsible for 106,000 (2/3rd). Quoting SK Verma, Deputy Superintendent of Police (MahaKumbh Zone), “Tagging children and elderly who may not be able express themselves well, prevents them from getting lost. This CSR initiative by Closeup helped the Government and Police in managing a safer MahaKumbh” While the initiative was rooted to its core proposition, for Closeup, the indelible goodwill of a 100 million people and specifically the 106,000 reunited families was the most appropriate marketing result!

Creative Execution

Closeup created first-of-its-kind partnership with the government authorities and local police in-charge of the MahaKumbh. With 100 million people crowding into a 2-hectare area, even mobile phones signals were jammed. We designed a special Closeup non-tearable wristband that would contain emergency contact information of a person’s family members like name, address and telephone numbers. Closeup provided the local police with a specially trained team of 200 volunteers who administered these wristbands on all children and elderly across various transit and entry points – Railway station, Bus station and Taxi drop-offs. Personal details were recorded on these non-tearable bands using indelible ink. The 200 Closeup volunteers over 55 days assisted the police in reuniting the lost with their families. These volunteers were easily identified by Closeup branded neon-trimmed jackets and through PA announcements. Closeup helpdesks were visible from a distance as Closeup balloons were displayed at a height of over 30-feet.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The MahaKumbh Mela is a 55-day religious festival that occurs in India once every 12 years. Over 100 million devotees throng the city of Allahabad to take a dip in its sacred waters. It is termed as the world’s biggest human gathering and is the only human congregation visible from space. Closeup Toothpaste is part of one in every three Indian’s daily Oral Care regime. The brand sought to make an everlasting impact on the greatest show on earth. An event of this magnitude comes with its own problems, none greater than the fact that thousands of children and elderly get separated from their families. Armed with its three decade old proposition of “bringing people closer together in social situations”, Closeup created the FIRST EVER HUMAN TAGGING NETWORK at the MahaKumbh. This network was designed to address the problem of the elderly and children being displaced from their families.