The Campaign

We positioned LED bulbs as a simple way for people in India to do their part to help the country. Simply by switching their light bulbs, they could help India save, while also lowering their own electricity bills. Every time they purchased a bulb, they would join the millions also taking action and helping the country, and declare that #ILEDtheWay.

Execution

•A national PR campaign announced the launch of the movement and was supported by regional PR campaigns as each new state of India joined the movement. •National & regional press ads and PR campaigns announced to total number of people who had joined the movement to galvanize others to join the movement and take action • National and regional radio campaigns brought the message alive in all areas of the country • A pan-India sales collateral campaign was rolled out to aid each state • We developed and launched the ILEDTHEWAY microsite, allowing citizens to pledge to join the movement and track collective progress • A campaign on Twitter on Energy Conservation Day that, for every three #ILEDTHEWAY, mentions, donated one LED bulb was donated to villages in need. • We publicly acknowledged average citizens as “Energy Efficient Champions” whom we identified through on-ground and online monitoring.

Before the campaign launched, it took 548 days for the first 10 million bulbs to be sold. After the campaign launched, the last ten million (from 80 million to 90 million) took only 13 days. From a first ten million bulbs, to a country that together is saving… •More than 32 million kilowatt hours daily •A total of 2,370 megawatts of electricity demand •More than 26,300 tons of carbon dioxide emissions daily •More than $19 million in energy costs daily • We’ve helped Indian households adopt energy efficient practices 2,784% faster •Garnered coverage in over 50 publications with media ad value of 1 million USD

The Situation

With traditional/online PR, we conducted door to door education campaigns focusing on savings of LED bulbs, ensured participation of law makers as campaign advocates and used radio jingles to drive campaign objectives. Our campaign had over 30,000,000 people pledged on iledtheway.in by switching to LED bulbs. Over 90 million LED bulbs are distributed across the country. Before the campaign, it took 548 days for the first 10 million bulbs to be sold. After campaign, last ten million (from 80 to 90 million) took 13 days. We garnered coverage in over 50 publications with media ad value of 1 million USD

The Strategy

We conducted extensive primary and secondary research to understand the various motivations that would encourage behaviour change. We also studied myths around LEDs that slowed adoption. This analysis included research that analysed the effectiveness of various forms of communication, messages and spokespeople as well as an analysis of previous campaigns by the government. Given the nature of a country of “many Indias”, we travelled across the country to study local nuances and identify the most effective stakeholder, consumer and media strategy. While our research helped us develop local strategies, we also realized the need for a national campaign that would accelerate change through a shared sense of national progress.