Lynn de Souza announces her new venture

Social Access will provide communication and execution strategies, and monitor campaigns of NGOs, corporates and government bodies.

Lynn de Souza, former chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, in a press conference announced the launch of Social Access, an initiative she is starting along with Meenakshi Menon (Madhvani), founder and chairperson, Spatial Access. Located at Khar, Mumbai, the company has been set up with the intention of bridging the gap between corporate and non-profit sectors through the means of effective communication to instigate social change. De Souza left IPG Mediabrands in November, 2012.

Social Access will not only create communication strategies for brands and causes but also execute them. Besides, it will also monitor and carry out impact assessment studies through research and field visits that will measure output and outcome. The current team comprises six people with skill sets including strategy, implementation, creative, digital, research and monitoring. The company plans to expand the team in the coming month. While Social Access has five clients on board, de Souza was reluctant to give out their names, saying that work would begin on communication campaigns from July.

"We want to develop communication campaigns that create social change and measure that change across various sectors. So, when an ad is put up, we will measure its impact on the beneficiaries," de Souza explains.

She adds, "The idea has been there in my mind for four or five years now. I feel the timing is right. With the growth of social media in the country, there is greater amount of social consciousness among people now."

Social Access has also partnered with the Centre for the Advancement of Philanthropy, iVolunteer, Dalberg Consulting, Fenton Consulting and Mofilms for resources.

The company's clients will include social sector organisations like NGOs, corporates, government bodies and societies. The company will have a team of strategists, creative and social media experts who will help NGOs to plan and execute powerful campaigns funded by corporates. The company will also help in fundraising and volunteering and obtain funding from corporate sponsors and supporters.

For corporates, it will offer CSR strategy and execution to enhance the social value of the initiative. For government bodies, Social Access aims to provide strong communication and execution strategy for specified social development programmes.