post-add

Tragedy to Triumph: How brands are turning Chennai floods around

In mid November this year the city of Chennai woke up to its worst nightmare ever. Unexpected downpours brought with them massive crisis as the life in the sun city of the country was brought to a halt. More than a hundred lives were lost in these floods while more than a thousand people were displaced. As a result work and production stopped, the modes of transportation were severely affected and an imbalance was created in the demand supply curve of food supplies.

The army and the government put their best foot forward and rescue operations to help Chennai went full throttle. Yes, this was a tragedy in its worst form. However, some brands took the initiative to help Chennai by extending a hand of support. They created positive experience among flood struck areas and populace in an attempt to bring the life in Chennai back to normal.

We at EE this time list down brands that turned the Chennai Floods "Tragedy to Triumph" with their initiatives.

1- Zomato- The online food ordering and restaurant search e-platform Zomato recently launched a meal plan for Chennai flood victims. Their customized offer called 'Meal for Flood Relief' was announced by their CEO Deepinder Goyal, who said, "Help get food to those affected by #ChennaiRains. We buy a meal for each one you buy here". As per the offer if someone bought a meal for Chennai flood victims, Zomato would add one to it and send two meals instead of one in the flood affected areas. Through this marketing move Zomato was able to extend support to the flood victims in Chennai and also made sure that the entire country did too.

2- Ola/Uber- Ola, the cab booking service via mobile app added the much needed support to the affected Chennai transportation system by launching Ola Boats. These boats made commute for people easier in the turbulent times and hence Ola managed to create a positive impact in the minds of the people through this unique initiative.

Meanwhile Uber too added more cars to their fleet and issued emergency numbers where people could contact if they were stranded. Uber also provided free pick and drop services to hospitals for the flood victims.

3- Paytm- E-commerce platform Paytm, which emphasizes on e-wallet facilities launched its Stay Safe Chennai initiative to help the Chennai flood victims. Through its blog, the company made the announcement, "If you would like to recharge anyone's mobile number so that they can remain connected during this tough time, please call us at 18001030033 and share the mobile number. We will recharge it with Rs 30 worth of talk-time, free of cost."

4- Airtel/BSNL- Mobile operators BSNL and Airtel extended their support to Chennai through free talk time and data packs. Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently declared that state-owned telecommunication company BSNL will not charge its customers in Chennai for one week starting today. Airtel also announced free talk time with a credit balance of 10 minutes for Airtel-to-Airtel calling and 50MB mobile data to its customers in flood-hit Chennai.

5- Practo- Health app Practo came to the aid of Chennai by putting together a list of verified doctors & hospitals available to help. The list is being updated every hour. Anyone in Chennai who feels the need of consulting a doctor can check the list and get the treatment done for free.

Also Read

Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on our latest news