Team work pays. And who knows that better than Mumbai's dabbawallahs ?
After participating yet again in the BSA Hercules India Cyclothon on Sunday, April 24, as a 350-member strong team, the dabbawallahs from maximum city will also be in the running for the title of ‘World's Best Company', in Tourism Queensland's Million Dollar Memo (MDM) promotion.
The tourism promoter launched the MDM campaign to target corporate incentive travel, following the hugely successful ‘World's Best Job' campaign to promote Queensland and its tourist attractions.
Tourism Queensland and Thomas Cook will also help the ‘Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association' create an entry – a 60-second video telling the world why they are the world's ‘best company'.
Interestingly, a Taiwanese taxi association is also in the running for the title, alongside 86 others (so far) from across the world.
“The dabbawallahs are all about team work, and we thought we should encourage them to participate in the contest. So we will be helping them create an entry. The response overall has been very good from India and we're awaiting companies to put their videos up,” said Ms Ryna Sequeira, Marketing Manager (India), Tourism Queensland.
As on April 20, the promotion Web site received 1,49,360 unique visitors with 7,22,346 page views.
Direct mailers in dabbas
The Six Sigma dabbawallahs are perhaps returning the favour to Tourism Queensland, by acting as messengers to office-goers in Mumbai through MDM promotional material in the tiffin boxes they deliver.
Speaking to Business Line , Mr Navneeth Mohan, National Business Head – Experiential Marketing – Big Live, Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd, said, “The concept of using dabbawallahs and the dabbas as a medium to reach corporates and office-goers isn't entirely new. We have seen a lot of Television channels using them in the past to drive tune-ins.”
Several social causes are also promoted through the medium.
The dabbawallahs have also helped Tourism Queensland target the right audience with the direct mailer exercise. One lakh office goers will receive a Million Dollar Memo in their dabbas , encouraging them to enter their companies in the contest.
Ms Sequeira added, “The total number of dabbas delivered each day is estimated to be around 4,00,000, of which, we identified, with the help of the dabbawallahs , areas to target based on the corporates present there. We're sending out the mailers through dabbas sent to offices in Nariman Point, Churchgate, Fort, Prabhadevi and Bandra Kurla Complex.”