How Tata Trusts has been harnessing communication to amplify impact of its interventions

India’s rich tradition of philanthropy has deep roots, epitomized by Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, known as the ‘Father of Indian Industry’. Back in 1892, Tata set a pioneering example by establishing the JN Tata Endowment Fund to promote higher education, a concept ahead of its time even in the US. This act of generosity was just one chapter in the Tata family’s enduring legacy of philanthropy, which has led to the creation of institutions and programs aimed at societal advancement. Over 130 years, these efforts have been consolidated under the Tata Trusts banner, symbolizing a profound commitment to humanitarianism and sustainable development in India.

Tata Trusts has also been a leader in cancer care in India since the 1940s, driving advancements in oncology research and treatment. Their Comprehensive Cancer Care program includes setting up screening kiosks and diagnostic units in collaboration with state governments and the National Health Mission, ensuring access to high-quality and affordable care. Central to their mission is raising breast cancer awareness among women across the country.

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Shilpi Ghosh, who leads Brand and Marketing Communications at Tata Trusts, discusses Tata Trusts’ initiatives, including the impactful ‘Gaanth pe Dhyan’ campaign and the collaboration with renowned Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Ghosh elaborates on how Tata Trusts tailors its communication strategies to effectively convey its initiatives and messages to various stakeholders. She also addresses the unique communication challenges faced by non-sectarian philanthropic organizations like Tata Trusts.

Tata Trusts’ ‘Gaanth pe Dhyan’ campaign has garnered significant attention. Could you share the journey behind its inception and the impact it has had so far on breast cancer awareness in India?

‘Gaanth Pe Dhyan’ is a simple yet unique idea that emerged while we were building extension ideas for the ‘Kaise Ka Cancer’ campaign, which was aimed at addressing India’s escalating cancer crisis by focusing on raising awareness, improving accessibility, ensuring quality care, and enhancing affordability. We needed sustenance strategies that would make a significant impact on the ground, and ‘Gaanth Pe Dhyan’ as an idea emerged as the perfect solution. It began as an on-ground activation executed across our hospital locations in Ranchi, Kolkata, Tirupati, and Dibrugarh and then evolved into a national campaign owing to the sheer might of the idea and its ability to connect with women across social class and geography. It was incredible to see hundreds of women from the communities we serve, voluntarily sign up for clinical breast examinations post participation in this activation. That litmus test on ground gave us the conviction to take this to a wider audience through the social experiment film that we’ve now launched.

Collaborating with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for the upcoming film sounds innovative. Could you elaborate on the creative process behind this collaboration and what audiences can expect from this new initiative?

This collaboration has been a masterstroke for generating awareness for breast cancer in terms of the target audience that this film now has the potential to reach. We are incredibly grateful to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for coming on board for this critical cause that deserves the attention that we know his association will bring. His mass popularity and profound influence in the culinary world make him a trusted household name. Women across the country look up to him for his culinary expertise, making him a relatable and credible advocate for this noble cause. The film, conceptualized and executed by Basta Films, was written with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor in mind, leveraging his resonance amongst women, to articulate an important message. And needless to add, he did complete justice with his flawless and heartfelt performance.

Cooking up a meal for their families forms an integral part of most women’s daily lives, especially in rural India. Drawing inspiration from the meticulous care women put into cooking, especially to prevent the formation of lumps in their food, the social experiment film brilliantly sows the seed of an idea, urging women to apply the same diligence to their health and self-examine their breasts regularly for any signs of a “gaanth” (lump), which could be related to cancer. With ‘Gaanth pe Dhyan’ we aim to encourage open conversations, and drive community action towards breast cancer by building the importance of breast self-examination among women at the grassroots through the insightful metaphor of ‘lumps in food’.

Could you walk us through the marketing mix and the agencies involved in crafting the ‘Gaanth pe Dhyan’ campaign, highlighting the strategies employed to amplify its message effectively?

Given that this is a public health awareness campaign, the conventional 4 Ps perhaps don’t strictly apply. ‘Gaanth Pe Dhyan’ started as a strong on-ground activation campaign leading to a national awareness piece with digital and PR playing a strong role in amplifying the reach and therefore impact. Several agencies have played a crucial role in bringing the campaign to life: the PR agency which conceived the idea and helped execute it on the ground, leading to over 1100 women across the country registering for clinical breast examinations; the creative agency that coined the name ‘Gaanth Pe Dhyan’ and developed the logo unit; our digital agency which is creating a digital footprint for the campaign using relevant influencers to build recall and drive sustenance; and the production house, which conceptualized and executed the film, adapting the original idea to suit the medium of films. Additionally, we are fortunate to have the unwavering support of the Tata Group ecosystem, which has significantly amplified our reach through its extensive traditional and digital channels.

As Tata Trusts operates across diverse sectors with significant societal impact, how do you tailor your communication strategies to effectively convey the Trusts’ initiatives and messages to various stakeholders?

Tata Trusts have always been firm in its commitment to effectively use communication to amplify the impact of its interventions. Our communication strategies are invariably crafted around either awareness leading to action or behaviour change that we seek to nudge through our programs on-ground. The key to our messaging lies in well-researched insights, and what sets our efforts apart is the creative execution of this deep insight, which appeals to the target audience, as opposed to relying on the usual anchors of development communication. Be it the ‘Mera Baba’ campaign on waste segregation or the ‘Kaise Ka Cancer’ campaign to build awareness for our hospitals or the ‘Samman Connection’ campaign encouraging rural communities to install tap water connections, the starting point has always been a comprehensive consumer understanding leading to strong creative delivery.

In your experience, what are the unique communication challenges faced by non-sectarian philanthropic organizations like Tata Trusts, and how do you navigate these challenges to ensure transparency and engagement?

The communities we serve are usually based in areas that are far to reach, usually media dark, with strong regional nuances and cultures guiding their behaviour. Our primary challenge lies in identifying a profound, universally resonant human insight that is geography and culture agnostic. We place significant trust in our research partners, who consistently excel in overcoming this hurdle and uncovering straightforward yet compelling observations which we then develop to resonate with local audiences. Given our extensive involvement in social and behavioural change communication campaigns (SBCC) across 21 states in the country, we recognize this as an ongoing challenge. Nevertheless, our decade-long experience in ‘communication for development’ gives us confidence that we will continue to identify key strategies to develop impactful campaigns.

Could you share a memorable anecdote or success story from your career that reflects the impact of your work in the development sector or corporate branding?

This takes me back to my corporate avatar when success was often measured by sales numbers, brand power scores, and bottom-line growth. A particularly satisfying experience during my tenure at Kodak was when we successfully raised awareness and adoption of the KB10 camera among rural audiences, encouraging them to capture and share meaningful moments.

However, success in my current role in the development sector transcends mere metrics; it’s sometimes about saving, sometimes positively impacting and sometimes changing lives for the better. Whether it was witnessing sanitation workers in Mumbai moved by the ‘Mera Baba’ film, or doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital offering generous praise at the screening of the ‘Gaanth Pe Dhyan’ film or seeing women from rural communities celebrate access to tap water in their homes – these are a few of the myriad moments that reinforce why I’m passionate about harnessing the power of communication in this sector.