Aircel: Ring in the old

Mobile telephony service provider Aircel is taking the philanthropic path. While most brands and advertisers offered discounts this festive season, Aircel came out with a 35-second corporate social responsibility TV campaign that urged youths to donate their unused mobile handsets to old people.

For this, the company came out with two commercials. The first shows an old couple having dinner in silence. The second film shows an old man playing carom by himself, back and forth between the different sides of the board. The ads end with a super that says: “Silence is not always golden.”

According to Aircel Chief Operating Officer Gurdeep Singh, the objective of the campaign is to motivate people to do something meaningful. With that in mind, the brief to creative agency Dentsu Marcom was to create an emotional connect cutting across geographies. “We had to create a CSR campaign that was relevant for business,” says Dentsu Marcom National Creative Director Adrian Mendonza. “The key was to get it out on Christmas to highlight the starkness.”

Through the campaign, the company is targeting high net-worth individuals who change their phones every 12 to 16 months. “We’re overwhelmed by the response,” says Singh. Within ten days, the company received more than 3,500 queries. Drop boxes will be used to collect handsets. For its part, Aircel will undertake to refurbish them. Additionally, it will recharge the handsets with a year’s free talk time. Finally, with the aid of NGO HelpAge India, it will distribute the phones in old-age homes.

The campaign evolved in a short span. Dentsu was approached by Aircel on December 8, and after getting the go ahead the following week, the campaign was shot and released on the eve of Christmas!

Aircel is keen on doing similar campaigns during other festivals as wells. “Our concern is the cause, and we will continue to invest in this space,” says Singh. Meanwhile, the company will launch a campaign with brand ambassador Mahendra Singh Dhoni shortly.