Parle addresses the 'littering' problem

Titled 'Litter Free', the campaign encourages people in Delhi-NCR to dispose garbage in a proper manner.

Parle Products has launched an out-of-home campaign titled 'Litter Free' in Delhi-NCR to encourage citizens, especially the youth, to dispose garbage in the correct manner - in the dustbin.

This campaign is part of Parle's 'Litter Free' CSR project and is in continuation with the company's TV campaign rolled out earlier this year.

Developed by Havas Media Group's OOH and activation brand Havas Media Active, this initiative aims to take forward Parle's anti-littering message in an outdoor setting. The campaign is being executed across Cyber City and Cyber Hub in Delhi-NCR.

The key elements of the campaign include OOH TV screens in buildings playing the three variations of the 'Parle Litter Free' TVCs (Corporate Boss, Class Monitor and Lady in the Shopping Mall looking for Mr. Clean), Backlit scrollers, a series of snap posters and digital pods. The TVC and poster campaign was created by Thoughtshop Advertising & Film Productions, Mumbai. The agency has been on Parle's roster from 2009.

The messages being relayed on these include - 'Apne ghar ko saaf rakhna sabko aata hai. Toh sadkon ko kyo nahin?' and 'Yeh kachrewala ka kaam hai. It's everyone's responsibility'.

Commenting on the campaign, Pravin Kulkarni, GM, marketing, Parle Products, says, "Indians are habituated to consuming products and thoughtlessly pitching wrappers, adding to the volume of littering in public places. Our Parle products have disposable wrappers, so we wanted to talk to people, to our youth - to educate and create awareness about this irresponsible behaviour. The OOH campaign is aimed at capturing our youth's attention, in their environment, with peers and passers-by prompting conversations and driving them to take responsibility and stop littering. We are already seeing that littering has reduced in targeted locations."

Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India, says, "Dirty surroundings are unhealthy, unsafe to society, and allowing littering to continue is akin to saying it's acceptable. Parle has taken a stand to go 'Litter Free' and wanted to talk to our sharing youth generation in their everyday surroundings. We decided to take the OOH route and zeroed in on Delhi-NCR to catch en-mass this audience. To give a sense of scale, only Cyber City has four lakh working professionals and 50,000 visitors every day, which this campaign is addressing."

"This initiative connects with the new-age audiences in a very meaningful and engaging manner and further enhances the relevance of Parle among the new-age audience and in the community at large," says Mohit Joshi, MD, Havas Media India.

"These are smoke-free buildings, so the ground floor becomes a catchment for smokers and cigarette vendors. Havas Media did a physical audit for a week and found that people do not use the dustbin near the cigarette kiosk, it gets pitched. We are looking to effect a change in smoker behaviour, and you will soon start seeing Parle branded litter bins inducing smokers to use them. We see our concept of this surround messaging touch our youth enough to take their trash to the dustbin and spread the message when they see someone else pitching," adds Ankur Rastogi, MD, Havas Media Active.

The outdoor push seeks to amplify the powerful messaging by creating a live, interactive, community experience, increasing the chances of its successful adoption as a day-to-day habit.

Parle Products is an Indian manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery since almost 80 years. Some of its popular brands are Parle-G, Monaco and Hide and Seek.

Havas Media is an integrated communications agency with digital at its core and is present in 126 markets. In India, it delivers holistic media and marketing solutions across media platforms - traditional, digital, mobile and outdoor; suited to client requirement, by specialised professionals; leveraging the knowledge, systems and proprietary tools available within the network.