Auto No. 1 asks people to vote for safe auto drivers

Muthoot Finance and Radio Mirchi's contest looks for the best auto driver in Coimbatore.

An unusual contest is currently on in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Launched by Muthoot Finance in partnership with Radio Mirchi, the contest, titled Auto No. 1, aims to scout for the best auto rickshaw driver in town.

Nearly 10,000 auto rickshaws have been roped in for the activity that involves tie-ups with about 200 auto stands in the city. Alignments with several auto rickshaw unions also enable the activity to reach out to the maximum number of drivers.

Stickers pasted both inside and outside the auto rickshaws give details of the contest in Tamil. The sticker contains details such as the SMS and calling numbers, as well as the logos of both Muthoot Finance and Radio Mirchi.

Passengers on the participating auto rickshaws have to either SMS to 58888 or call on 7708026633 to register their votes on whether or not a particular driver is driving safely and behaving well. People need to send their remarks along with the registration number of the respective auto.

The campaign began on February 1 and will run till mid-March, spanning nearly 45 days.

Explaining the concept behind the campaign, Anand Parmeswaran, regional director, South and executive vice-president, Radio Mirchi, says, "There is a huge distrust of auto drivers, so we aimed at showcasing aspect more positive aspect of theirs."

Speaking on the same lines, Cherian Peter, chief marketing officer, Muthoot Finance, says, "The common man interacts with the auto drivers on a daily basis. There have been both good and bad incidents regarding auto drivers, so we wanted to help improve the image of auto drivers."

The voting for the best auto driver closes on March 10 and the winner will be chosen based on the number of votes received. The winner will be awarded Rs 25,000, while the first and second runners up will be given Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000respectively.

Peter says, "There is no business attached to this activity. Earlier, we did such a campaign in Chennai and now we are doing it in Coimbatore because we want to thank our customers for supporting and believing in us."

Parmeswaran adds that there are two benefits attached with this campaign - one is social and another is brand development.

Radio Mirchi, as the radio partner for the campaign, is trying to engage with the auto rickshaw drivers, auto union members and common people who use this means of conveyance.

Radio Mirchi is currently present across 32 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and others. It is owned by Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL), a subsidiary of Times Infotainment Media Limited (TIML), which is a part of Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd(BCCL).

Muthoot Finance Ltd. is a gold financing company. It provides personal and business loans secured by gold jewellery, or Gold Loans, primarily to individuals who possess gold jewellery but could not access formal credit within a reasonable time, or to whom credit may not be available at all, to meet unanticipated or other short-term liquidity requirements. It has more than 4000 branches across 21 states, 4 Union Territories and employs more than 30,000 people.