Slum Children Education Programme: Old is the new new

The challenge for Dentsu Marcom India:inspire people to donate old books for 'Slum Children Education Programme'. Solution: our idea was based on a simple thought that “An old book is new to people who haven’t read it”. To execute the idea, we gathered several old books and packaged them exactly like new ones. Wrapped in transparent plastic sheets, the books were placed among the new books in about 50 popular book shops in Delhi, India. On stumbling upon the old books every reader was greeted with an inspiring message that urged him to donate his old books. The response was delightful. Hundreds felt touched and registered. The idea acted as a trigger, readers who could see the difference, could make a difference.

Result
In 2 months, we had 30000 books at our disposal. With an average packaging cost of 1 cent/book, it was also one of the most economical ideas that clicked. The HOPE worldwide India’s website recorded 8000 hits in the first few days itself. The idea also led to partnerships with new corporations. And all of it was achieved by changing the perspective of people. The books that were old and completely useless were now new and most useful.