The Campaign

The idea was fairly simple to have multiple activities across cities in the country, which became news pieces, and were picked up by national as well as the international print and electronic media outlets. Each activation was unique in itself and was based on the location and target audiences of the city. For example - the activation ‘Satyarthi Class’ on child sexual abuse at Jaipur set the Guinness World Record for the largest lesson on child safeguarding, - the activation in Bangalore lead to Chief Justice of Karnataka (State in India) setup a separate dedicated court, to fast-track all child abuse cases and more. We had over 150 such unique activities across the country in span of 22 days.

Execution

The media outreach plan was focused on the engagement of publications ranging from the premium to the vernacular throughout the country. The content team was instrumental in creating and placing original tailored content viz. seeded stories and thought leadership articles in target publications which added tremendous visibility to the India March. The cumulative media coverage of the 4-month campaign garnered 4000 unique coverage pieces spanning over 15 languages, across print, online, electronic and the digital space across 22 states. Over 100 on-ground interviews were facilitated which were instrumental in the sensitization of over 500 million citizens in the country. Over 50 front page stories and 10+ prime time interviews later, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation has been acknowledged as the leading crusader for children and their protection. Opinion Pieces and case studies placed across vernaculars along the March route, connected the local population to the cause in unprecedented ways

The Bharat Yatra (India March) garnered 4000 unique coverage that spoke about the march, the cause it espoused and about Mr.Satyarthi’s vision for the children of India. This coverage spanned across all leading publications and channels and led to the sensitization of over 500 million citizens of the country. 100+ on ground interviews, over 50 front page stories and 10+ prime time interviews later, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation has been acknowledged as a leading crusader for children and their protection. The media covered the main messages and sentiment behind the march by highlighting the need to unite and push for a strong law, formulate better modes of redressal and ensure that the country unites to break the stigma surrounding child sexual abuse and trafficking The march’s impact was visible across the spectrum. Ministers, parliamentarians, the judiciary, Bollywood stars, activists and the common man, all joined hands to rid the country of the menace. The President of India, lent his support to the march by joining it, with religious heads, corporate and conglomerates wholeheartedly agreeing to help spread awareness and work towards creating a safe environment for India’s children to thrive in. Mass mobilisation and burning anger at the prevailing injustice motivated the lawmakers to take concrete steps towards child safety. The Union Cabinet cleared the Anti-trafficking bill, providing stringent punishment to perpetrators. 100+ Parliamentarians vowed to amend laws, and the judiciary pledged to uphold the laws, administer justice and fast track cases pending under POSCO.

The Situation

The use of media (print and television) to mobilise a vast population of a country, that led to the change in policies and established new laws, for the betterment of the society and a better life for its citizen. Relentless work done by the team, across all the geography of a huge nation, and generating a common consensuses among the masses regarding the issue of child safety.

The Strategy

To successfully execute the India March on a country wide scale, the March was strategically broken down into phases to ensure smooth operations and that maximum media visibility was awarded to the cause being championed. Cause based interviews, positioning Mr. Satyarthi as a crusader for child rights were scheduled while simultaneously strengthening his position as a thought leader through opinion pieces in leading dailies. The team was also responsible for creating and placing original content which ensured that highly controlled messaging reaching the intended stakeholders at every step of the way The first phase was engineered to build conversation around the cause, while phase two was a call to action for the country to join the fight. Post March, the focus was on highlighting the immediate outcomes of the march and to keep motivating the country to never give up in its quest to eradicate the country of this menace.