Castrol Activ encourages social distancing with real-life examples

We're in the third phase of the lockdown, and certain individuals are still selflessly catering to the requirements of the nation during COVID-19 pandemic. While frontline workers deserve all the appreciation, there are also a few other individuals who have been doing their bit during these tough times.

Castrol Activ recently released a campaign #HangUpYourKeys, which urges people to hang up the key of their vehicles, and stay at home. This campaign encourages social distancing, and is also applauding the efforts of people, who are helping communities. The video showcases real-life stories of young Indians, who are making a difference during this challenging time, while staying at home.

There's Suraj Yadav, a teacher from Mumbai who has been at home since March 23. He's helping in collecting donations for relief materials for the poor. With the help of social media, Yadav has been able to connect with various relief initiatives across the country. Namarita Kathait, a mental health professional from Delhi, has been at home since March 21, and conducting online sessions to help people cope with anxiety. Rana Pratap Bhattacharya, an IT professional from Pune, has been delivering essentials to senior citizens across the city. He has been regularly getting requests for food and medicines for the elderly, who're living alone (their children are based abroad). Tamchos Gurmet, an innovator from Ladakh who has made several innovations in the field of sanitation, agriculture and electricity generation, has contributed by innovating an ‘infection-free tap’ for his city's doctors and hospital staff.

“Castrol’s idea through the #HangUpYourKeys campaign was to inspire people to protect what they love, while being safe at home. Through this campaign, which encouraged social distancing as #IndiaFightsCorona, we applauded everyday heroes, who could inspire and encourage others to act as catalysts of change. Along with the digital video campaign, we also had TV actors endorsing the campaign, helping to take the message to more people and encouraging others to be a part of it,” says Sandeep Sangwan, managing director, Castrol India.

“Given the campaign idea about social distancing, while continuing to do good, the key challenge was to bring all the pieces together, from celebrating stories of ordinary heroes, to presenting it in an inspiring way, while all our teams were working from home. But, thanks to the one team spirit, which our agencies and internal teams displayed, across various time zones and geographies, using available digital technologies, we were able to collaborate well and deliver this great outcome,” added Sangwan.

“With the campaign thought of #HangUpYourKeys, we discovered many individuals, who were stepping up with great initiatives to help the wider community. We researched to find simple, yet powerful stories that could really inspire people to help others. From inventing an ‘infection-free tap’ in Ladakh, to organising virtual mental health support group sessions in Mumbai, the campaign features real stories of real-life heroes. We have, in the process, also encouraged others to share their stories on how they have stepped up for the community, which they have done on social media handles.”

Castrol Activ has also initiated a campaign for the trucker community. The #SaluteTruckers campaign highlights the efforts of this community and its endless contributions towards keeping India moving. This campaign allows people from across the country to send goodwill messages to truckers, and appreciate their service of supplying essential products throughout the country in this tough time.