CSR was always a traditional part of India’s culture, FWD Business takes to look at how some companies decided to give back to society in a creative way!
Words: Vandana Devi Images: Various Sources
CSR has been a traditional part of India’s culture, says Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal. And now the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility has been brought from back rooms of corporates to their board rooms with the new company law. The provisions of this legislation are most important in the realm of business conduct with CSR now being held as an integral measure of good and responsible governance.
With CSR becoming mainstream, we decided to look at some impressive CSR campaigns that has been doing the rounds lately. Here are a few of them:
Respite from the Delhi heat
As part of the Japanese MNC Daikin’s CSR activities, the AC manufacturer in collaboration with the Delhi government has launched its first air conditioned bus stand in Ring Road in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. This initiative has created waves in social media. Delhiites are extremely thankful for the small step taken that is trying to get them through the brutal summer. This marketing campaign has become a breath of fresh air in the scorching heat of Delhi.
Giving students the tools to create the future
In a sort of unusual CSR initiative by Mahindra, they donated a 3D printer to a school near Pune with the aim to let children experiment with the 3D technology. Through the project, they want to inspire young minds to think creatively and help open up a whole new world of possibilities for them and their communities. They hope it will ultimately reach more schools and offer potential employment opportunities in design and prototyping. Mahindra will also be bringing faculty from Mahindra Research Valley, Mahindra’s R&D centre, professors from IIT Madras and NID to educate students in concepts related to design thinking, providing students with basic skills that will help them use this technology to its full potential.
“Face of Courage” no matter what you look like
Vocal advocate against unregulated acid sale, and Acid attack survivor Laxmi was cast in Viva N Diva, a saree brand’s campaign called “Face of Courage”. She said that she wanted to “set an example for women like me to be confident and have courage despite their physical appearances.” This campaign is a lesson for individuals who inflict such horrific, physically deforming crimes against women and serves as a platform to send this message. The campaign also aims at creating new opportunities for such survivors in the fashion industry.
“Release the Pressure” during exam time
Couple of weeks before the board exams began, PepsiCo India rolled out its campaign for Miranda, raising the issues of examination stress amongst teenagers that sometimes lead to depression and suicidal tendencies. The film was an appeal to parents to support and motivate their children and Miranda wanted to highlight a socially relevant issue that affects their target customers who are kids aged between 14-18. In the film, teenagers read out letters they have written to their parents expressing their distress and expectations of parents which add to the pressure of exams as well. The objective of the campaign according to the company, was to facilitate conversation regarding this and drive behavioural changes by inviting people to pledge to “Release the Pressure” during exam time. They want to mainstream this CSR initiative that they have taken to connect with the kids and their parents.