Music for a cause

The universal love of music formed the basis of a truly engaging non-profit campaign

Research shows that Indians are contributing more to charity—up from 14% of the adult population donating money in 2009 to 28% in 2013. A big segment of that is the high net-worth individuals (HNIs). The year 2014 also saw the CSR mandate as part of the Companies Act 2013 come into force.                                                                   

Genesis Foundation, a not-for-profit based in India, raises funds for the treatment of critically ill under-privileged children. The foundation satisfies the criteria set by the mandate for NGOs to qualify as CSR implementation partners. And of course, India is a country of music lovers. All this meant more HNIs could be engaged with the right engagement platforms.

From this Music for a Cause was born – an integrated communications campaign that included a series of unique, participative musical events where the HNI indulged their love for music, while contributing to a cause.

Tapping the biggest contributors

A series of music events and festivals involving HNIs as a fundraiser was unprecedented in India. Music for a Cause had a simple objective: More involvement = more donors = more kids treated.

It gave CEOs the chance to indulge their talents, giving them something more personal to care about besides the cause, and gave a chance to a range of music artists to perform in front of an audience, which combined with the visibility for philanthropy, was a heady combination. For the youth and volunteers, it was a chance for direct access to some of the biggest names in business and music.

More engagement, more CEOs, more donors

For the success of the campaign and to reach the goals, one event would not have been enough. The foundation organised a series of fundraisers in different formats, all of which would display the musical talent of people. These events were:

  1. CEO’s Got Talent, based on the popular Got Talent franchise, the event had CEOs displaying their musical and other talents in front of celebrity judges. The event was televised on CNBC-TV18, covered on outdoor and radio.
  2. CEOs Sing for GF Kids, a fund-raiser where CEOs sing and people pay to attend.
  3. Kasauli Rhythm & Blues Festival and JadhavGADH Music Festival, fund-raisers to marry music and a worthy cause, with artistes from India’s diverse pool of talent.  

Partnering for success

Several partnerships were forged—with media houses, outreach specialists and digital development companies—to increase reach and visibility. While Kasauli Rhythm & Blues and JadhavGadh Music Festivals were already in collaboration with Rolling Stone India magazine, the foundation collaborated with Fremantle Media to adapt its hugely popular Got Talent franchise for CEO’s Got Talent, where the foundation was the beneficiary of the proceeeds. More partners were also brought for tactical support on the events, media outreach as well as digital platforms.

Upping the digital ante

Heavy digital amplification was done to generate awareness about the activities of the Foundation. There was increased engagement on social channels, including creating an Instagram account, and substantially more video and graphic content.

Digital influencers like the performing bands, lifestyle bloggers, CEOs and celebrity judges were coopted to give that extra push. An important part of the digital strategy was creation of an app—GF Live. There was also increased engagement through the monthly newsletter, mailers and a revamped website.

Impact where it matters the most

The impact of the campaign was outstanding. Total funds raised increased by 32%, but more importantly, the number of children supported more than doubled because of this. The number of CEO participants went up too, while the event themselves caught the eyes of both, sponsors—who almost tripled their sponsorship—as well as the media. A side benefit of the campaign was that it gained visibility as well as credibility in the eyes of hospitals and the partnerships on that end increased quite a bit too.

In an increasingly cynical world, one dealing with a range of issues, unfortunately, you need something more than just the tug of the cause to get people to contribute. And what better way than the universal tug of music.


Genesis Foundation’s  campaign  Music for a Cause won the NGO category of the Asia Pacific Excellence Awards hosted by Communication Director. The full list of winners has now been announced. Winners were honoured at the Winners Day in Singapore on April 1 2016, when communications professionals came together to celebrate the best in PR over the last year. The winners day inlcuded a Symposium and a Winners Dinner. Find out more about this event here.

Image: Genesis Foundation

 

Prema Sagar

Prema is the vice chair of Burson-Marsteller Asia Pacific and Principal/Founder, Genesis Burson-Marsteller. She founded Genesis PR in November 1992. Over the last two decades, the company, which was acquired by Burson-Marsteller in 2005-06, has mirrored the journey of India’s public relations and public affairs landscape. Today, Genesis Burson-Marsteller is a full-service integrated communications firm, delivering innovative and integrated solutions across multiple geographies and practices. Prema is also a member of BM’s Global Leadership Team.