Given the objective, we realised that in order to create a popular perception about ChotuKool, we would need to come up with an idea that would resonate with the masses. Several brainstorming sessions later, we zeroed in on the idea of connecting ChotuKool with storage of leftover food. Our secondary research revealed that India is home to 194.6 million undernourished people and one-third of the world’s chronically malnourished children. To support this line-of-thought, we conducted a survey among Mumbai-based NGOs to estimate the quantum of food that got wasted in the city every night. The number ran into several tonnes and the sole reason was lack of food storage. Hence, we thought, if there was some way that this food could be collected, stored in ChotuKool units, and served to the needy and hungry, we could create greater awareness about ChotuKool’s unique features as a mobile refrigeration unit.

First, we promoted the idea of #UnhungryIndia on social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) to discourage food wastage and encourage people to pass on excess/leftover food to the poor and hungry.

Next, following Godrej Appliances tie-up with Dabbawalas, we created an event in Mumbai during December 2016 where senior executives from Godrej Appliances – as part of a pilot project – presented customised cycles to the representatives of Dabbawalas.

We ensured that the media – and especially the regional media – attend the event/press conference. We decided to concentrate on the regional media as the readership of this media was several times higher than the English mainlines. We also translated all important press communication in the major regional languages. These apart, separate teams were given the responsibility to reach out to regional media publications across state capitals and important media centres. This initiative was amplified on social media in parallel.

Media outputs: Our efforts yielded an ad-value of INR 3.12 crore (USD 465,816.00) and 3 million opportunities-to-see (OTS). Number of cities covered: 20, including Tier I, Tier II and Tier III locations. The media, while appreciating the efforts of the Dabbawalas, extensively reported on the unique features of ChotuKool. Regional publications including Dainik Bhaskar, Punjab Kesari, Sakal, Loksatta, Pudhari, Kalakaumudi (all leading regional newspapers) gave prominent coverage to the event and the unique role played by ChotuKool and Mumbai’s Dabbawalas. Leading English dailies such as The Hindu, Business Standard, The Financial Express, and The Asian Age also covered the event.

Target audience: Awareness among general public rose manifold as demonstrated by social media posts. Live telecast of the event on Facebook saw 6,500 views, while our tweets and subsequent re-tweets reached 10,898 users. The #UnHungryIndia campaign generated more than 3 lakh impressions (244,806 ‘likes’ on Facebook and 11,063 tweets). More than 8,000 users posted comments on various social media platforms. The #UnHungryIndia video on YouTube got 195,175 views.

ChotuKool helped Dabbawalas store food overnight and efficiently run their Roti Bank initiative. In December 2016 alone, close to 900 kg of food was collected and distributed in Mumbai, which was otherwise not possible. Thousands of the needy and hungry, NGOs and Dabbawalas have appreciated the unique features/benefits of ChotuKool. The Dabbawalas have subsequently decided to scale up their noble initiative.