MUMBAI: Lodestar UM has been appointed as the media AoR by Population Services International (PSI), for Freedom 5 (Intra-Uterine Device for Women).
The agency has also won media mandate for the Axshya communication campaign (awareness about Tuberculosis) project.
The win comes on back of a multi-agency pitch that also saw participation of agencies like MediaCom, Maxus and Carat.
Lodestar UM will be responsible for planning, buying and implementation across all mainline media i.e. TV, Print, Radio and Outdoor. The campaign on Tuberculosis has already broken in March 2012 while the Freedom 5 campaign is slated for release in May 2012 and will cover the pan-India market.
Lodestar UM VP Anindya Ray said, ‘We are happy to be appointed as the AOR for the PSI campaigns against Tuberculosis and in driving demand for Freedom 5. We look to maximize the efficacy of the campaigns through use of appropriate tools and research based intelligence in order to push specific action."
Lodestar UM COO Anamika Mehta added, “Our endeavor is to create insightful ideas with a watchful eye on driving immersive communication experience in order to drive perception change. This is a huge responsibility and we look forward to partnering PSI.’’
PSI (India) communications director Monica Bakshi said, "In India two people die of tuberculosis every three minutes, yet a majority of the population do not feel they are at risk from the disease. It is important to communicate that anybody can get TB, treatment is free and that an affected person must complete the full course of treatment. The first phase of the campaign highlights the urgency to get tested for TB, if one has a cough for two weeks or more. We have previously partnered successfully with Lodestar UM on other behaviour change communications campaigns, and are happy to have them on board to add media teeth to this important pan-India initiative."
The Freedom 5 communication seeks to bring about a behavioural change amongst married women in adopting proactive measures to avoid unplanned pregnancies. PSI intends to use its network of doctors across key markets to interact first-hand with the target audience and bring actionable change in perceptions.
The Tuberculosis awareness campaign seeks to raise self-risk perception of the disease amongst the general population, and specifically targets adults between the ages of 15-54 years from the C and D socio-economic groups. People with a cough for two or more weeks are encouraged to have their sputum tested, for free, at the nearest Designated Microscopy Centre (DMC). The treatment for tuberculosis is free and is for a period of 6 to 8 months.
The Tuberculosis campaign will not stop at awareness generation but will go beyond the traditional use of media and drive action.
