Case Study: How Manipal Hospitals’ heart-shaped traffic lights campaign became the talk of the town

This case study explores how Manipal Hospitals' heart day campaign turned Bangalore’s traffic lights into hearts and saw a 911% increase in social engagement. The campaign was executed by Social Panga.

Manipal Hospitals' heart day campaign was a cardiac arrest awareness campaign created on the occasion of World Heart Day, which left millions of netizens talking about it. Here’s a case study on all the details of the campaign.

Category Introduction

Hospitals are an essential part of India's healthcare system. The market is growing due to rising disposable income, an ageing population, and changing illness profiles. In terms of revenue, the hospital sector was valued at INR 7940.87 Bn in FY 2021. It is expected to reach INR 18,348.78 Bn by FY 2027, expanding at a CAGR of ~18.24% during the FY 2021 -- FY 2027 period.

Summary

On the occasion of World Heart Day, Manipal Hospitals launched their cardiac arrest awareness campaign, #GuardiansOfTheHeart, along with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), where, at 15 locations, two QR codes were featured. One was the cardiac emergency QR code, to get emergency support, so that people didn’t have to worry about dialling a number or searching for ways to save a life. The other was to educate people about the life-saving technique of CPR via a film. Apart from this, red stop lights on signals were converted into a heart symbol to draw attention and create more awareness around the campaign.

The creative agency behind this campaign was Social Panga.

Objective

The objective of this campaign was to raise awareness about cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training.

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Execution

The campaign was conceptualised to spread awareness around the need for a first response during Cardiac Arrest and was executed using online and offline mediums to showcase the assets.

Build-up

Due to Bangalore's high level of congestion, ranking as the 6th most congested city in the world, and its citizens spending 20% of their travel time waiting at traffic signals, the brand decided to target this audience at stoplights throughout the city.

Main Activity

On World Heart Day, Manipal Hospitals, in partnership with the Bangalore Traffic Police and BBMP, launched the #GuardiansOfTheHeart campaign using heart-shaped red lights at over 100 traffic signals for a duration of 30 days. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training.

Anyone and everyone who was stuck in traffic was targeted via the campaign. Bangaloreans stopped, noticed the heart-shaped red light, and then the signboard with a QR code below it. The QR codes trained them in CPR through a one-minute video (only 2% of Indians know how to perform this life-saving skill).

Results

Through the #GuardiansOfTheHeart campaign, the public realised the importance of heart health. The campaign garnered 1.45 billion earned media impressions, a 911% increase in social engagement, and 12,600 QR code scans. 

People stopped, scanned, and learned to save a life from cardiac arrest by calling an ambulance and performing the life-saving technique of CPR — the two important steps in saving a life suffering from cardiac arrest.

Madhur Gopal, Assistant Vice President - Marketing, Manipal Health Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. said, "Cardiac arrest can be serious and if there is not enough awareness on how to handle it immediately, it can result in death. We wanted to raise awareness of the CPR method before the ambulance comes and we are glad to partner with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) to get their support to reach to the maximum public. The response we received has been overwhelming and we are glad people are more informed now."

Gaurav Arora, Co-founder, Social Panga said, "The concept behind this social activation was to engage the audience across different locations where they congregate most frequently. This was strategically planned and executed along with Manipal Hospital. We collaboratively and ingeniously utilized Bengaluru's traffic signals as a prime location. We are glad the campaign was welcomed and received so well by the public, and our idea to raise awareness could reach to a vast audience. The immense attention garnered across various platforms and the evident digital impact of this initiative stands as a testament to its success and effectiveness."