By A Correspondent
Standing true to the tagline ‘Take Care’, Garnier Men launched a unique social campaign – PowerLight a Village with an aim to light up hundreds of villages in India that are without any electricity. The announcement of the campaign was made by Satyaki Ghosh, Director, Consumer Products Division at L’Oreal India Pvt. Ltd. and Nathalie Gerschtein, General Manager, Garnier at L’Oreal India Pvt. Ltd. Garnier Men has collaborated with Project Chirag as their implementation partner. The Foundation has been championing the cause of rural electrification and has been instrumental in providing electrification to over 125 villages across the country
The ‘PowerLight A Village’ campaign aims at creating awareness among consumers to contribute through their pledges on social media and be a part of a movement that will help Garnier Men in the identification and electrification of lightless villages across India using solar power. Villagers will be provided with one solar lamp that also has an in-built mobile charging unit, 1 solar tube light and 1 solar panel to charge their equipment. In a country like India which receives 300-325 sunny days a year, these units would help villages get continuous supply of electricity.
Nathalie Gerschtein, General Manager, Garnier at L’Oreal India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Garnier is a green brand at heart and it has been our endeavor to bring to the Indian consumer, new, different and better products relevant to their needs at an affordable price. Garnier Men has enjoyed great success in India and we are pleased to take a step back and contribute to our society willingly. We have initiated this noble campaign in order to spread light across the less fortunate, remote areas of India by using natural resources like solar energy. Our consumers need not have to contribute anything in cash or kind, just their support towards the initiative online, will help the team light up another village. As a predominant player in the skincare industry, we pledge to work harder in helping India grow as a country and not just a market.’
Satyaki Ghosh, Director, L’Oreal, consumer Products Division, India said, “Garnier has taken a wonderful step by keeping up to their tagline ‘take care’ and initiating a fruitful social campaign. ‘PowerLight a village’ is a great message especially for the youth of the nation. According to us, we feel that if we can work efficiently with our conscience and consumers, then we can make our society a better place to live in. ‘PowerLight A Village’ will help us spread smiles and bring light by using renewable sources of energy like solar energy. Consumers are invited to make a difference in simple and multiple ways like actively participating in digital forums like Facebook and Twitter.”
Harshil Karia, Co-founder and Online Strategist, FoxyMoron said, “Brands taking on projects for social good is the future. We believe that a brand speaks through their actions more than advertisements and are humbled to be associated with Garnier Men who has taken this bold step through the ‘PowerLight A Village’ campaign.”
Through the simple medium of social media, Garnier Men aims to reach out to more than a million consumers and encourage them to participate in the campaign. ‘PowerLight A Village’ is an extension of the Men Who Matter initiative and will be driven via digital, allowing Garnier Men’s 1.6 Million Men Who Matter on Facebook to contribute virtually to the electrification drive. Every like, share and comment, will contribute a predetermined unit of energy. This will be coupled with activations on-ground that will allow Men to come and pedal bicycles which will be recording the energy generated. Â A summation of these activities will eventually be translated into actual energy donation through the solar equipment.