Social Media Campaign Review: Marico Campus Connections

Established in 1957, Marico started its product line with Saffola and today has a lineup of hair care products in its kitty: Parachute Advansed Hair Oil Set Wet, Revive, Mediker, Hair & Care, Nihar, Haircode & Fiancee and Enaleni.  It now aims at changing the way youth think and chart their career paths in India while tapping in to campuses across the country to bring on board some of the best talent as Marico trainees through its Campus Connections initiative on Facebook and Face Off.

Objective

MC2, Marico Campus Connections, is a unique e-initiative launched with the objective to connect with campuses across India.  The idea behind it is to create a space for the youth to discover, ideate & debate.  The platform provides them with an insight into the world of Marico- where existing paradigms are constantly challenged and where members are empowered enough to choose their career paths.

Execution

The Face Off Challenge is hosted on the Marico Campus Connections Facebook page through a dedicated app.  It was launched on 20^th April 2013 closes on Monday, 6^th May, 2013.  To participate you have to like the page which then leads to a request to access your public profile, friend list and email.  An off putting element for those with privacy concerns and bound to affect interaction and draw participation.

What is involved? I Brand Challenge and 3 Clues to help participants face the challenge.

There is 1 Idea, 2 Winners, One chose by the brand team and the other by popular choice, INR 15000/- cash prizes to be won every week.

Once a team is registered, no changes are allowed.

Positives

With Marico’s target audience being the youth, Facebook is the right place to reach out to them.  The app is slick, well designed and navigation is smooth.

The questions comprising the challenge and the clues provided revolve around Marico’s product line, are interesting, thought provoking and challenging enough to make budding corporate trainees think out of the box and come up with solutions.

Choosing two winners, one by the brand team and the other by popular choice is also a good idea as it keeps things competitive while taking care of public opinion.

Scope for Improvement

Perhaps an offline element is the only thing that’s missing here.  It could have added a point of interest through supporting initiatives live on campuses in the country.

Conclusion

As one of India's leading Consumer Products & Services companies in the global beauty and wellness space, Marico has always worked outside the box.  From actively working to bring innovation to its customers through continuous and sustainable change, the brand is now working to ensure that responsibilities should be based on grey cells, not grey hair.

Marico Campus Connections initiative is taking the brand’s commitment to offer enriching growth as opposed to predetermined plans imposed on people further.  It is in line with the brand’s overall strategy while effectively using social media.  The Face Off challenge puts the spotlight on Marico’s hair care range and gets people thinking proactively.