Mahindra Uses Power Of Children In #TogetherWeRise Campaign, Draws Attention To Sustainability, Climate Change
The new campaign poses a challenge to today's businesses by asking them what kind of world the children will inherit tomorrow.
*This is in partnership with BQ Prime BrandStudio
Imagine if children—the closest personifications of the future as they can be—looked your business in the eye and asked what future you have in store for them.
In that future, do you intend to leave Earth a tad greener, a little healthier, or a planet that is plundered to its core and choked with carbon? Is the world of tomorrow one of equals, diverse in gender, race, and culture, yet effortlessly inclusive of all, or one built on biases and divided by differences? Is your business giving back to those in need or amassing its own fortune while ignoring the needs of others?
The most pertinent question of them all is: Is it a tomorrow that has been made better or worse, and which of the two tomorrows is your business shaping today?
Children are the voices of and for the future. They will be tomorrow’s thought leaders, perception drivers, influencers, selectors, and decision-makers. Most importantly, they will be tomorrow’s consumers. Which products they choose to consume will largely depend on what brand image they’ve inculcated as they grow into adults. In an age when sustainability and climate protection measures by companies are instrumental in creating a persona of a "for-Earth" or "against-Earth" brand, it becomes imperative for businesses to focus not only on sustainability but the voices driving it: children.
Mahindra Group uses these powerful voices of tomorrow’s consumers in its latest marketing campaign: #TogetherWeRise. Through the spoken word of children of diverse cultural backgrounds and nationalities, the campaign asks the business world a range of questions. Is your business diverse and inclusive? Is it socially responsible? Is it earth-caring? Is it giving back to society and the planet?
The film in Mahindra’s #TogetherWeRise campaign has a child reciting a line or two, followed by another, as part of a bigger poem, a larger challenge to businesses. While one child insists on buying what a company is making if they’re also making the world a better place, another agrees to spend money if a business isn’t robbing the Earth, while another asks those in power to why not send a woman to Mars instead of yet another man, to ensure gender inclusion.
These are critical questions that brands must answer today because the world of business must no longer be driven by profitability alone but by responsibility too. Businesses must adopt sustainability and work towards the environment and climate protection, and different aspects of their operations must be in line with their sustainability goals. They must ensure their operations have a minimal carbon footprint and aren’t leading to climate change, which can disturb the already delicate balance of nature. Even if some alteration does take place, businesses must enforce countermeasures to make certain the balance is restored.
The businesses of the future will have to rejig their "purpose" to be relevant for the times we live in. They must be aware of the three mega-shifts occurring around the world: climate change, disruptions caused by technological advancements, and higher value accretion for businesses that are focused on ESG and technology. The three pillars enable "businesses for the future" to serve the "consumers of the future" with the larger goal of making the world a better place for all. The call to action, therefore, is #TogetherWeRise!
Mahindra’s #TogetherWeRise campaign is not just "poetry on paper" but also a reflection of the group’s "practice what you preach" approach. Mahindra has itself answered these critical questions through its past and present actions and a future course towards sustainability and circumventing climate change.
The Mahindra Group is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 with its focus on energy efficiency and the use of renewable power. Mahindra is already water-positive at the group level, preserving more water than it uses.
The group has a range of sustainability firsts to its credit. It was the first company to sign the global EP100 initiative, and in the process, it has committed to doubling its energy productivity by 2030, based on a 2005 baseline. It was also the first Indian company to adopt a carbon pricing model, a tool for companies to help adopt low-carbon technologies that reduce future emissions and lower operating costs.
The Mahindra Igatpuri plant is India’s first carbon-neutral and "Zero Waste to Landfill" factory. CERO, a Mahindra Group company, is India’s first authorised vehicle recycler, with a count of 4000 vehicles recycled in the financial year 2021–22.
Mahindra Lifespaces’ Eden, a real estate facility in Bengaluru, is India’s first net-zero energy home development project. In 2020, Mahindra Heavy Engines became the first Indian company to achieve EP100 status. In 2021, Mahindra & Mahindra became the first Indian automobile and component company to be included in the World Index list of companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the second consecutive year. Tech Mahindra was also included for the eighth consecutive year.
Last year, the group booked a 55% increase in renewable energy (RE) consumption to reach a 12% cumulative RE share in its electricity power mix. It expects to reach a 40% cumulative RE share in the coming year on account of a captive 60 MW solar power plant. The group also planted 1.3 million trees under Project Haryali, bringing its total number of trees planted to 20.65 million. Furthermore, Mahindra Ag North America’s (MAgNA) Houston facilities recently switched to 100% renewable energy.
At the heart of all these actions towards sustainability is Mahindra Group’s belief that whatever is good for the world is good for business. What creates value also creates profit. What enriches the planet can also enrich the company.
The same can be seen in Mahindra’s #TogetherWeRise campaign, which gives a modern-day voice to a 77-year-old legacy of values. Values that intend to create a better place for children, tomorrow’s consumers: a place where children don’t need to question brands before buying their products. The campaign leaves businesses with quite a few points to ponder.
The voices in the #TogetherWeRise video may hold a touch of innocence and a clearly unveiled intent, but even the most innocent of voices today have the power to echo far and wide tomorrow.