Mahindra bets on India Rising

-------Social movement marketing------Spark the Rise is a business initiative launched by Mahindra Group on August 17 of this year. This isnt about turning Mahindra into an N G O but about Mahindras version 3.0 of corporate brand building. The Spark the rise isnt a corporate social responsibility initiative .Rise is not just a slogan but a movement that Mahindra is looking into Spark and rise with .They are trying to build a 21st century corporation by energising people and giving them a core purpose to be part of spark the rise movement .This is about co creating with communities. It is intended to be a global platform, the first leg of which is being driven in India. Its intention is to enable people to help others rise. The campaigns construct is simple .The website became active on August 17.Indians are being invited to post ideas on the site than can uplift their fellow countrymen, through projects in technology, energy, agricultural and rural development, infrastructure and transportation etc... Eight ideas are shortlisted each month, after 6 months the most popular among the top two ideas in each month, will battle for votes in order to get grants from Mahindra. The idea is to provide a meaningful credible platform that will consistently amplify their message and help them connect

with other like-minded people and get support for their projects.

Ideas will be chosen based on innovativeness and feasibility and its impact on our nation .The employees are also given opportunities to express their views. Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice C M &M D, Mahindra group is leading the Campaign. The television campaign spark the rise has been created by Strawberry Frog (a cultural movement agency).The first phase will be critical to its success. This is a platform that can bring idea to life or take a project further .The technique used here is movement marketing and through this , they are expecting enough to drive traffic to the website. Spark the rise has no end date. Its a long term movement .If the movement marketing is right, there are potentially millions of people ready to hear what this brand has to say. This movement helps Mahindra fasten picking up of majority stake in electric vehicle maker Rava or enter in the solar energy business. If it lives up to its potential , spark the rise will raise the bar in movement marketing .This social movement marketing seeks to empower the people of India to shape their own future. Mahindra had ear marked Rs 120 crore for the price rise campaign over 3 years.