If billboards can be used to give out free samples of scarves, caps and gloves, why not a little sympvertising in the form of a branded dinghy? Which is just what Indian mobile provider Aircel recently did in Mumbai in the days leading up to this year's monsoons.
Aircel's billboard, erected by outdoor agency Primesite near Mumbai's Milan Subway, bore a large, inflated dinghy along with the line, "In case of emergency, cut rope." And on July 15, such an emergency did indeed arise when monsoon floods made the Milan Subway virtually impassable. The rope was cut on Aircel's billboard, the boat was released, and stranded pedestrians were ferried to safety. The result? Near constant local media attention for Aircel, even including the headline, "Aircel did what [government agency] BMC did not." Reportedly, Aircel now plans to implement something similar in Delhi and Kolkata as well, according to afaqs.
Beyond generating free publicity, of course—glowing as it was—Aircel's effort is also a prime example of the corporate generosity that's increasingly being expected by today's consumers—referred to by our sister site as Generation G. Whether it's helping wildfire victims find a bed for the night or generating support so financially strapped families can keep their homes, there are countless ways companies can show that they care. Help consumers, and you help yourself! ;-)
Website: www.aircel.com/Mumbai_sails_through_aircel/
Contact: www.aircel.com/ContactUs/contactus.asp
Spotted by: Murtaza Ali Patel
So it's okay to make money off a potential tragedy? If so, i have a plan to sell branded parachutes at major airports and maybe sponsor the black box.
Talk about right place at the right time! Free samples and giveaways always draw extra attention and attraction to certain brands but who would have thought that an advertising scheme would actually be life saving! This is what everyone wants in a brand: understanding of consumer needs, service reliability, community care. Sympvertising, love it!
*after getting a closer look at the story from the Aircel link, I was surprised to see Aircel representatives there paddling the raft. I thought it was purely the public using the dinghy. Regardless, helping out the community is better than not lending a hand at all.