Delhi Government hands the Civility Campaign to citizen dentsu

Before the Commonwealth Games kick start in October 2010, the Delhi Government has taken up the cause of civility seriously, so as to evoke a general sense of pride and responsibility and avoid embarrassing situations

citizen dentsu, the social communication division under Dentsu India, has been assigned the Government of Delhi's Civility Campaign. The decision was made after a long battle between 15 agencies.

Led by the Directorate of Information and Publicity, the Government of Delhi's Civility Campaign comes as a precursor to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in New Delhi.

Delhi Government hands the Civility Campaign to citizen dentsu

citizen dentsu's mandate includes all creative and media duties for this initiative. The agency has devised a 360-degree, multimedia campaign, aimed at drawing the attention of Delhi's citizens to civic sense. The Civility Campaign unfurled as of December 12, 2009 across Delhi.

P K Tripathi, principal secretary in the Chief Minister's office, declines to put a figure to the allotted ad spends on this campaign, saying there is "no fixed budget" for the campaign. "We will intensify the campaign over the next few months and will release money depending on the various media used for it," he adds.

Tripathi continues, "We have just begun introducing the 'Ladli' mascot. The campaign will gradually get intensive and advertisements will appear in newspapers, TV and billboards."

Speaking on the win, Sandeep Goyal, chairman, Dentsu India, says in an official communication issued to the media, "We are proud to have been awarded this campaign. It is a never-before effort by the Delhi Government to address certain deep-rooted behavioural patterns, typical to Delhi's civic mindset. It is a slow burn exercise; but I am certain that our efforts will contribute towards changing these habits and mindscapes for the better."

Gullu Sen, executive vice-chairman and chief creative officer, Dentsu India elaborates on the objective of the campaign. "The purpose of the Civility Campaign is to bring about heightened awareness of civic sense among citizens of Delhi; while sensitising civilians to the city's heritage and encouraging them to be part of preserving the same. Given the depth of this mandate, we are delighted to win and work on this coveted campaign."

Harish Arora, executive creative director, citizen dentsu, says, "Our campaign is a call to citizens, telling them that it's time to change."

The campaign has been titled 'Come on Delhi' and seeks to invoke a sense of ownership of the city's state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, services and heritage landmarks, ensuring that citizens use it with care and concern.

"We are positive that our work will bring about the desired shift in perspective, attitudes and behaviour, which will not only change the way Delhiites behave with others, but also transform the way they interact with their surroundings," adds Arora.

For the record, citizen dentsu was launched by Dentsu India with an aim to drive societal communication programmes with sensitivity and appreciation, which sets it apart from commercial communications.

citizen dentsu works with government/ semi-government clients, as well as for the CSR programmes of corporate customers. The clients that citizen dentsu presently caters to include Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Government, Hindustan Latex Lifecare Limited, Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, Ministry of Tourism, National Aids Control Organization (TSG), Delhi Police, Indian Oil - Corporate Communications (HQ), Refineries Division, Delhi, Corporate Communications (Marketing Division), Western Division, Mumbai and Southern Division (Marketing), Chennai.

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