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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a

Social Cause?
Why would the biggest Indian national newspaper devote its first page for a social cause?
Over the decades, the front page space in the newspapers has been exclusively reserved for the
most engaging national (or at times international) news. But the edition of April 28th 2010 of
Times of India (TOI), the largest circulated Indian news daily, looked different. The headlines
read Billion Hearts Beating Campaign Launched (BHB), a nationwide campaign jointly launched
by TOI and Indias largest corporate hospital chain, Apollo Hospitals (Apollo) (Exhibit I).
Although the campaign was refreshingly welcome for many Indians, many of the corporate honchos
question the relevance and reach of the intended message of social cause campaigns. Why
co-branding such causes? Who would gain the most in the short run and in the long run?

Exhibit I
rint Ad of Billion Hearts Beating Campaign in Times of India
The PPrint

Source: Times of India, April 28th 2010, pages 1 and 3

This case study was written by Girija P. and Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary, IBSCDC. It is intended to be used as the basis for class
discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. The case was compiled from
published sources.
2010, IBSCDC.
No part of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reproduced or distributed in any form or medium whatsoever
without the permission of the copyright owner.

Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Billion Hearts Beating: The Campaign Begins

On April 28th 2010, Apollo Hospitals in association with Times of India launched a nationwide
health awareness campaign, Billion Hearts Beating, cautioning how vulnerable Indians are to
heart-prone diseases. The entire page was dedicated for a problem that is assuming alarming
proportions in India the growing epidemic of congenital heart diseases.
BHB campaign intended to address a problem that was detected way back in the 1950s, for
which the government and private health sector did little. Cautioning that Indians are at a far
greater risk of suffering from heart diseases and disorders than almost any other nationalities, Dr.
Pratap C Reddy (Dr Reddy), founder chairman of Apollo Hospitals (Apollo), championed the
cause, joining hands with TOI. It is estimated that around 25% of Indians under the age of 40
are prone to heart ailments being more susceptible than Caucasians or any other race.1 Especially,
of late, urban Indians have become more vulnerable to heart problems. A 30-year-old Indian
male is three to four times more likely to have a heart attack as compared to the same age men
of other nations. As per statistics, more than 12% of the urban Indians suffer with heart ailments,
in contrast to the US, where only 5% of urbanites have heart complaints.2

Exhibit II
Managing Seven Risk FFactors
actors
1.

Smoking Smokers risk a heart attack twice as much as non-smokers. Smoking is also
the most preventable risk factor. So if you smoke, quit right now. It isnt easy, we know, but
its possible. Also, please remember that non-smokers who are exposed to passive smoking
are at an increased risk. And thats not fair.

2.

Cholesterol Please have your cholesterol levels checked. A diet low in cholesterol and
saturated and trans fat will help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart
disease. Regular exercise will also help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol
levels.

3.

Blood pressure Like cholesterol, blood pressure interpretation and treatment should be
individualized, taking into account your entire risk profile. Control blood pressure through
diet, exercise, weight management, and if needed, medication.

4.

Diabetes If not properly controlled, diabetes can lead to significant heart damage,
including heart attacks and death. Control diabetes through a healthy diet, exercise,
maintaining the right weight, and taking medication as prescribed by your doctor.
Contd...

India Has a Problem, http://www.billionheartsbeating.com/index.php

Ibid.

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

5.

Lifestyle Many of us lead sedentary lives, exercising infrequently or not at all. Simple
leisure-time activities like gardening or walking can lower your risk of heart disease. Try to
exercise 30 minutes a day, at moderate intensity, every day.

6.

Eating Eat a heart-healthy diet, low in salt, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and
refined sugars. Try to increase your intake of foods rich in vitamins and other nutrients,
especially antioxidants, which have been proven to lower your risk for heart disease. Also
eat plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

7.

Stress Poorly controlled stress and anger can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Use
stress and anger management techniques to lower your risk. Learn to manage your time
better, set realistic goals, and take up activities like Yoga and meditation.

Source: Billion Hearts Beating: Campaign Against Heart Disease, http://www.billionheartsbeating.com/

Apollo as a responsible global healthcare group intends to educate people about the seven risk
factors for heart problems that people must be aware of (Exhibit II). Addressing the people about
the growing epidemic, Dr Reddy said, Reports point to India becoming the heart disease capital of
the world, if we havent become it already. This is a dubious distinction. This is a title we do not
want and certainly do not deserve. The risk of heart disease can be reduced even reversed. We,
as the countrys largest healthcare provider are committed to help the country achieve.3
The objective of the BHB campaign is to spread awareness about healthy lifestyles in order
to reduce the risk of heart disease significantly. The new economic order (especially during
2001-2010, driven largely by IT, BPO, Entrepreneurship and Brain Drain boom), has resulted
in new lifestyles. The changing lifestyles mean new working, eating and socialising habits that
put the health concerns into a spin. On the campaign-launching day, TOI had exclusive
articles about heart problems and ways of curing them on the very first page. Interestingly, the
text was splintered with symbol, which was very eye-catchy. Every single o in the text was
replaced with a red heart (Annexure I).
To complement the print-ad campaign, an exclusive website, www.billionheartsbeating.com,
has been created that not only sensitises the visitors to the impending disaster but also offers 92
ways to keep your heart healthy. The website also includes an Ask the Experts column wherein
the visitors can post their queries pertaining to heart problems. A Heart 2 Heart helpline has
also been set up where cardiologists from Apollo will answer the queries of enthusiasts (readers
of TOI) for two hours daily (Exhibit III). Further extending their service, Apollo is conducting
health check-up camps across various parts of the country. The details of the health camps are
provided in the website.

Billion Hearts Beating campaign launched, Times of India, April 28th 2010, page 1

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Exhibit III
Heart 2 Heart Helpline

Compiled by the authors from Heart 2 Heart helpline, Times of India

As the website is opened, the number of pledges took stares at the visitor. Between April 28th
2010 and May 31st 2010, 16,871 pledges have been reported (Annexure II). Once people take the
pledge (out of the 19 options the direct or indirect reasons for heart disease), they are encouraged
to forward the pledge page to their friends. A facebook group page has been created to provide
more visibility to the campaign. Members of the group can view and upload videos based on the
campaign and share their views on the issue.
To further the cause and have a wider reach, several initiatives have been undertaken that
included mass distribution of heart-shaped balloons and pamphlets to sensitise people about the
risk factors. TOI on the other hand, has taken an active interest to promote this campaign
through print ads. The media conglomerate has taken up this cause as a follow up of its several
other social campaigns that it promoted.

Times of India and Social Cause Marketing Campaigns

Times of India emerged as the largest media conglomerate overtaking its arch-rivals, The
Hindu and Hindustan Times. Around 4.3 million copies are circulated daily, earning a turnover of
$700 million.4 A study conducted on TOI cites that its emergence as a top daily is attributed to
its effective marketing communication mix (Annexure III). Another often-cited reason is its
innovative and socially-relevant cause marketing campaigns (Annexure IV).
4

Jain Nikunj, Project IMC Analysis for Times of India (Report 1), http://doc-0s-2c-docs.googleusercontent.com/docs/secure/
ha0ro937gcuc7l7deffksulhg5h7mbp1/tpgkei36h8thfmmmkbln8ju44bu10nn4/1274745600000/16630972171976487976/*/
0B_3LLffOqz9QZGM4YTU5MGMtMWEzMS00ODNjLTkxMDktNmM 5MzlhY2M0Mjlk?e=open, September 26th 2009

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In January 2007, a 6-week long India Poised campaign was launched to celebrate Indias 60
years of independence, roping in Bollywood celebrities Amitabh Bachchan and Gulzar. A
combination of several video and print advertisements highlighted a unique theme India is
competing against India only. This theme carried unifying and unfinished agendas for India,
viz., cricket and entertainment (unifying) and corruption, trust, patriotism (unfinished). These
ads were aired in both English as well as Hindi languages. These series also included A day in
the life of India line of advertisements. This campaign helped the newspaper to connect emotionally
not just with its readers, but also the public at large as the themes chosen were refreshing and
reminding Indians of their dutiful responsibilities. However, it was opined that this campaign
suffered from two major drawbacks: one, its message was not clear as they could not communicate
what they wanted, and target segment is not well-defined, as it targeted all the age groups.
As a sequel to India Poised, TOI launched an on-going, Lead India campaign (http://
lead.timesofindia.com), in August 2007. The idea of the campaign was helping India choose the
right leader. While India Poised campaign attempted to reconnect the Indians to the real India
by sensitising them to unifying and unfinished agenda, Lead India campaigns goal was to identify
new leaders for a new India men and women with the vision and ability to empower India with
the kind of political leadership that is so conspicuous by its absence. Lead India is designed to
enable the brightest of India to cut short the normally long-winded path up the political ladder,5
pointed out TOI. Lead India campaign started with a series of print ads in newspapers titled Do
featuring Shah Rukh Khan. Several other celebrities Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar,
etc., were the other lead campaigners for the rest of the season. It also conducted a reality show
in Star One channel, with Javed Akhtar, Kiran Bedi and Vikas Singh as the judges. After
thrilling nation-wide competition, on February 9th 2008, the results were announced. R.K. Mishra
(Bangalore) won the contest against Devang Nanavati (Ahmedabad) with more number of votes
and a sharp lead of 6-1 from the Jury of 7 judges. He was crowned as Lead India Mahanayak from
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. The winner was awarded prize money of
INR 50 lakh for pursuing a social welfare project, was granted the eligibility to contest in the
General Election and pursue a course in leadership and politics at Harvard Universitys John F.
Kennedy School of Government. While many appreciated the letter and spirit behind this
campaign, several others questioned the itinerary and integrity of this campaign. It is cut/paste
of speeches written by eminent leaders, few ads, and results from SMS-polls,6 commented one
peeved Indian.
In 2009, TOI came up with another initiative called Teach India campaign with the objective of
imparting education to the undereducated. Based on the theme If you have the desire to teach,
5

Can u lead India? R U the next generation leader for nation, http://www.citehr.com/39223-can-u-lead-india-r-u-next-generationleader-nation.html

TOI: Lead India Campaign, http://sujaiblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/toi-lead-india-campaign.html, September 1st 2007

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

we will put you in touch with underprivileged children who are willing to learn,7 the campaign
invited the educated masses to spare some time and impart education to the underprivileged.
Based on a social goal of Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and
you have fed him for a lifetime,8 the message was very clear and emotional. The Bollywood actor,
Aamir Khan was commissioned to endorse the cause. To take this cause to the nook and corner of
the country, TOI has partnered with NGOs, schools, and companies. It effectively promoted the
cause through television ads, internet, hoardings, and other promotional events. An exclusive site
(http://teachindia.itimes.com/public_teach-india.php) has been developed to promote this cause.
The cause was targeted at the youth and the older educated masses.
Although the success rate of these campaigns are not known, TOI continued launching a
series of campaigns. On April 28th 2010, TOI in association with Apollo Hospitals has launched
a nation-wide awareness campaign The Billion Hearts Beating.

The Billion Hearts Beating and other Social Cause Campaigns: Prospects
and Perils
Unlike the earlier social cause campaigns, TOI has teamed up with Apollo Hospitals for The
Billion Hearts Beating campaign, setting a new trend in social cause marketing initiatives in
India. However, many industry pundits question the intent and form of such an association or
co-branding initiative. Is Apollo Hospitals trying to elevate its brand image given the increasing
competition in the private sector of the healthcare industry? Few analysts also opine that Apollo,
more than serving the social cause is trying to improve its business prospects. Why it would offer
free health checkup camps and put its busy doctors on call for 2 hours a day (Exhibit III), they
argue. As Apollo is already the leading healthcare provider in the country and its core business
is healthcare business, people relate the social cause highlighted to the healthcare group easily.
On the other hand, what does this campaign mean for TOI? While all the earlier social cause
campaigns promoted, addressed one or the other social malignancies with a clear We can do it.
Lets do it underpinnings, The Billion Hearts Beating campaign is related to an unpleasant
theme and therefore enlisting support for this cause might just border on seeking business for its
partner, as many argued. Who would be benefited most by this co-branding initiative? It has
generally been observed that co-branding (especially in the case of social cause marketing
initiatives) works best when either of the partners does not have any direct or indirect interest in
the social-cause campaigned for. ...sometimes co-branding can pose the threat of differential
advantage on one partner and generate potential competitors. Brands should decide whether
they would like to co-brand or extend their brands by increasing product or service range. Many
7

The Times Of India Teach India Campaign, http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-cooking-article/the-times-of-india-teachindia-campaign/352539, September 13th 2008

Quotation Details, http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/2279.html

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a times, co-branding effects one partner positively and the other negatively.9, pointed out Kocherp.
Extending this logic further, she stated, Successful co-branding happens only when both the
brands add value to the alliance. This value prospective is gauged by analysing how the brands
would complement each other and who their potential customers would be. Research suggests,
consumer attitudes do not change much when strong brand names co-brand as compared to
lesser-known brand names. However, attitude is just one aspect of measurement. The true benefit
of co-branding can be assessed by examining revenues, profits, and consumer base.10
Earlier, in September 2009, Quaker Oats in association with TOI and Apollo launched a
Mission to Make India Heart Healthy. In June 2007, Tata Tea in association with an NGO,
Janaagraha launched a social cause campaign Jaago Re! to awaken (Any tea can wake you
up; but only Tata Tea can awaken you.) Indians on issues like corruption, motivate for voting,
primary education for child, womens rights, etc. While Quaker Oats campaign was declared a
failure, Jaago Re campaign was not only successful in achieving the intended objective, but Tata
Teas brand image was also catapulted.

Questions for Discussion

What is social cause marketing? What according to you is its relevance? What do you
think can be the prospects and perils for social cause marketing initiatives?

Analysing all the social cause marketing campaigns of Times of India during the last 4
years, what stylised facts can be drawn?

Compare and contrast The Billion Hearts Beating campaign with TOIs earlier social
cause campaigns? What are the similarities and differences?

When do you think co-branding would work in favor of both the partners of the
campaign? In the case of The Billion Hearts Beating campaign, who do you think
would gain the most Apollo Hospitals or Times of India, and why?

Fill the following matrix with suitable and relevant examples and comment on the efficacy
of this matrix.

Kocherp, The Advantages and Disadvantages of Co-Branding, http://www.brighthub.com/office/entrepreneurs/articles/46418.aspx,

September 13th 2009

10

Ibid.

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Matrix to Assess the Scope of Success of Cause Related Marketing

Unrelated

Relationship between the

social cause campaigned
for and the core business
of the company

Closely related
High Social consciousness/awareness among people

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Low

Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Annexure I
The Billion Hearts Beating Campaign

Contd...
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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Source: Times of India, April 28th 2010, page 1

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Annexure II
Billion Hearts Beating Campaign

Source: Billion Hearts Beating: Campaign against Heart Disease, http://www.billionheartsbeating.com/index.php

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Annexure III
Communication Mix of Times of India

Source: Jain Nikunj, Project IMC Analysis for Times of India (Report 1), http://doc-0s-2c-docs.google
usercontent.com/docs/secure/ha0ro937gcuc7l7deffksulhg5h7mbp1/tpgkei36h8thfmmmkbln8ju44bu10nn4/
1274745600000/16630972171976487976/*/0B_3LLffOqz9QZGM4YTU5MGMtMWEzMS
00ODNjLTkxMDktNmM5MzlhY2M0Mjlk?e=open, September 26th 2009

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Annexure IV
Ad Campaigns of Times of India

Contd...

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Contd...

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Billion Hearts Beating Campaign: Heart Beats for a Social Cause?

Contd...

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Contd...

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Contd...

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Source: Jain Nikunj, Project IMC Analysis for Times of India (Report 1), http://doc-0s-2c-docs.google
usercontent.com/docs/secure/ha0ro937gcuc7l7deffksulhg5h7mbp1/tpgkei36h8thfmmmkbln8ju44bu10nn4/
1274745600000/16630972171976487976/*/0B_3LLffOqz9QZGM4YTU5MGMtMWEzMS00ODNjL
TkxMDktNmM5MzlhY2M0Mjlk?e=open, September 26th 2009

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