Brand / Marketing Communication Strategies and Advertising and Promotional Strategies Case Study

'Billion Hearts Beating' Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

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Abstract:
This case study questions the relevance of co-branding in social cause marketing campaigns. On April 28th 2010, Apollo Hospitals (Apollo), India’s largest corporate healthcare chain in collaboration with Times of India (TOI), the largest Indian newspaper, started ‘Billion Hearts Beating Campaign’. The aim of the campaign was to create awareness about the increasing risks of congenital heart diseases and possible ways to resolve them. The campaign was promoted through various communication channels – print media, online social networking, etc. To complement the print advertisements, an exclusive website was created to reach out to the potential users. While the campaign was well received (?) (as measured by the pledges), its intended objective – for both the co-branding partners, Apollo Hospitals and TOI – is yet to be realised. The case study, while chronicling the earlier social cause marketing campaigns of Times of India – Teach India, Lead India, etc. – also provides a scope to discuss the relevance of co-branding in social cause marketing initiatives.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To examine the reasons behind the growing trend of social cause marketing initiatives, especially in an emerging country like India and build a relationship between the brand life cycle and the social cause marketing initiative
• To understand Times of India’s (TOI) socially-relevant marketing campaigns – Teach India, Lead India, etc. and examine the advantages and disadvantages of such campaigns for the company in the short run and in the long run
• To compare and contrast ‘Billion Hearts Beating Campaign’ with the earlier social cause marketing campaigns of TOI and debate on the relevance of co-branding in social cause marketing campaigns and to discuss the affect of ‘Billion Hearts Beating Campaign’ on brand image of Apollo and TOI.

Keywords : Social Cause Marketing, Cause-Related Marketing, Tata Jaago Re, Teach India, Lead India, Integrated Marketing Communication, Billion Hearts Beating Campaign, Apollo Hospitals, Times of India, Co-Branding Strategies, Social Cause Marketing and Consumer Perceptions, Brand Communication Strategies, Marketing Communication Strategies, Brands and Social Cause Marketing, Social Cause Marketing in India

Contents:

• 'Billion Hearts Beating': The Campaign Begins
• Times of India and Social Cause Marketing Campaigns
• The 'Billion Hearts Beating' and other Social Cause Campaigns: Prospects and Perils
• Questions for Discussion