Billboard to the Rescue
Tags: Aircel, Cause Marketing, Customer Loyalty, India, Milan Subway, mobile, Monsoon, Mumbai, Outdoor, Raft, Resuce
Mumbai residents paddle Aircel raft through Monsoon-flooded street.
In mid July, a monsoon flooded the area around the Milan subway station in Mumbai, India, stranding commuters. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait for the water to subside or for a government agency to airlift them to safety. Instead, they were rescued by a billboard.
The billboard, created for the mobile service company Aircel, read “in case of emergency, cut the rope.” Attached to the rope was a full-size inflatable raft. When the company installed the sign before monsoon season, it didn’t make much sense. But as soon as citizens were rowing the raft to safety, the message was clear: Aircel’s customer support had gone beyond cell phone reception.
The story is an excellent example of using cause marketing to build customer loyalty. Rather than selling a service, Aircel’s marketing provided real value when it mattered most, not just for their customers, but for all customers. The goodwill effort brought in new customers and built a deeper emotional connection between the brand and its existing customers. Not to mention, the unpaid media coverage the initiative received.
Aircel went above and beyond peoples’ expectations. They created, what we call, “meaningful wow.”
(via Springwise)
