AdBag: Walking the eco-friendly way

The080 Media Group has introduced AdBag, a new mode of advertising where advertisements are printed on eco-friendly recyclable, and 100 per cent degradable bags.

In an attempt to protect the environment and solve the plastic bags ban issue faced by retailers, The080 Media Group, which creates online, print and video media products, has introduced an innovative advertising initiative called 'AdBag', which has advertisements printed on eco-friendly bags.

Talking to afaqs!, Rohit Mukherjee, founder and CEO, AdBag, says, "We found AdBag to be an effective, economically viable solution to the growing plastic bag problem in cities. At the same time, it is an extremely effective and targeted advertising medium."

The AdBag design team works with advertisers to create advertisements to be printed on bags. The ads are categorised according to the target audience, and the bags are distributed to distribution partners such as retailers frequented by the target consumers. The degradable grocery bags are distributed to retailers at around half the cost of conventional plastic bags. The bags are distributed within a radius of 3-5 km from the advertiser's office in 15 days. Retailers, in turn, distribute these bags to their customers.

As part of the process, AdBag has teamed up with over 500 retailers to distribute advertisements, of which, most of the current retailer base is local. "So far, we have carried out campaigns for local clients in the events, medical, and food and beverage sectors. Our current strategy is to start off with smaller local advertisers. We will slowly expand to incorporate bigger campaigns, and partner with larger advertising houses," adds Mukherjee.

In the initial stage, the company charges a one-time setup cost of Rs 2,500 for the creation of advertisement and imprint manufacturing. Subsequently, the charges vary according to the number of bags desired to be printed/distributed by the advertiser (which ranges from Rs 22,500 for every 5,000 bags to Rs 3.50 per bag for 50,000 bags or more). The pricing includes design, manufacturing, transportation, and distribution of the eco-bags to retailers.

The company allows various kinds of advertisements to be featured on the bags, ranging from human resource recruitment campaigns, residential real-estate sales, consumable product campaigns, coupons, offers and promotional campaigns, brand recognition campaigns, public service and awareness announcements, and non-profit and charity campaigns.

Currently operating in Bengaluru, the company plans to move into Tier 2 cities in Karnataka soon, and has plans for a pan-India presence.