MESSAGE BARTER

Silver Spike

Case Film

Presentation Board

TitleMESSAGE BARTER
BrandTHE AKANKSHA FOUNDATION
Product / ServiceTHE AKANKSHA FOUNDATION
CategoryA06. Use of Social in a Direct Campaign
EntrantOGILVY & MATHER INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Entrant Company OGILVY & MATHER INDIA Mumbai, INDIA
Advertising Agency OGILVY & MATHER INDIA Mumbai, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Rajiv Rao Ogilvy&Mather India National Creative Director
Abhijit Avasthi Ogilvy&Mather India National Creative Director
Kiran Antony Ogilvy&Mather India Group Creative Director
Shahrukh Irani Ogilvy&Mather India Senior Creative Director
Jigar Fernandes Ogilvy&Mather India Copywriter
Parth Gadhia Ogilvy&Mather India Copywriter
Rakesh Jha Ogilvy&Mather India Art Director
Shashank Jha Ogilvy&Mather India Art Director
Ritwik Pareek Ogilvy&Mather India Art Director
Hitesh Patel Ogilvy&Mather India Account Management

The Brief

Brief - Akanksha, an NGO, provides free education to over 5000 underprivileged children. They needed teachers for their schools but didn't have money for advertising. The brief was to increase awareness about their need for teachers. Strategy - No money for advertising? Why not 'force' big celebrities to campaign for you. We tried an experiment called 'Message Barter'. Akanksha's kids spread promotional messages for India's biggest celebrities and asked them to spread a message in return and tell millions of their fans that Akanksha needs teachers.

Creative Execution

- The creative idea turned India's biggest celebrities into Akanksha's brand ambassadors, for free. It was simple to execute and made the school's children, the real heroes of the campaign. - Over 18 million fans of these celebrities learnt of Akanksha's need for teachers. (not accounting for retweets) - Since the brand couldn't afford to spend on advertising, this creative helped them achieve a considerable impact at no cost. - Also, an association with the country's top celebrities rubbed off on the brand which gave it much more awareness and positive recall.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Since Akanksha's recruitment drive targets the educated and upwardly mobile, we decided to focus on social media. Insight - Can you say 'NO' to kids when they do something cute for you and ask for a small thing in return? Idea - 'Message Barter' brought together Akanksha's kids, India's biggest celebrities and millions of fans. The kids spread promotional messages for celebrities and asked them to spread one for them in return. And they did - tweeting Akanksha's need for teachers to all their fans. In doing so, they turned into Akanksha's brand ambassadors, for free.

Results

- Almost all the celebrities responded - Over 18 million people were reached - Coverage worth almost 1 Mn USD at no cost - Traffic to Akanksha's website went up 4 times - Teacher applications went up 2.5 times - This is was Brand Akanksha's first ever association with top celebrities and influencers in this manner. This breaking of ice holds a promise for more such associations with them in future