Harpic's #MissionPaani hosted India’s largest Waterthon on Republic Day
#MissionPaani addresses the criticality of water for hygiene
By Rachit Juneja
Feb. 2, 2021
“Hosting India’s largest Waterthon on Republic Day is highly symbolic and a matter of pride for us at RB.” - Laxman Narasimhan, Global CEO, Reckitt Benckiser Group.
Reckitt Benckiser group of companies is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. They have been fighting to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness, and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. RB is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries.
A few years back, Harpic had marshaled itself with the sixth goal in the United Nations’ 17 Goals for Sustainable Development’ list – clean water and sanitation, owing to which they came about with the initiative - ‘Swachh Bharat’ (Clean India) in 2014, and decided to take it forward.
As India celebrated its 72nd Republic Day, Harpic’s Mission Paani hosted its first Waterthon celebrating the country’s water heroes. The 8-Hour long Waterthon brought together leading policymakers, celebrities from all walks of life, the Armed Forces, and corporates to address the criticality of water for hygiene and conservation.
On #MissionPaani, Laxman Narasimhan, Global CEO, Reckitt Benckiser Group commented, “Hosting India’s largest Waterthon on Republic Day is highly symbolic and a matter of pride for us at RB. People from all walks of life have come together today on the Harpic Mission Paani platform, united towards a common goal of saving water. This day has celebrated India’s water heroes who have selflessly led and addressed the criticality of water for hygiene. We are hopeful that Harpic with its key initiatives will successfully drive behavior change towards water conservation and hygiene with Mission Paani.”
Actor and Mission Paani Ambassador, Akshay Kumar said, “Water is a wealth we have to conserve. The demand for water will rise by 40 percent in the next 9 years, which is something we will not be able to fulfill. Add to that, there are chances of a water crisis taking place in 28% of the country for which we all will be responsible. At the rate that humanity is going, in the next 100 years, we will finish all the water available. Water can be sold at the rate of gold, it can even be costlier. We might even see a war on it. There might come a time where there won't be rivers, lakes. We will struggle to even find a drop. It is the need of the hour for us to take a pledge to save water so that we can live a life of a better tomorrow.”
Moreover, Akshay Kumar is also the Brand Ambassador for the government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan’. RB’s association with an actor like him works extremely well for the brand, as Akshay Kumar is known to be the pioneer of the sanitization movement in India, and has championed his inclination towards the same through the movies he does.
On the objective of the campaign, Mr. Narasimhan Eswar, Senior Vice President, RB Hygiene, South Asia said, “RB’s purpose- to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world- has never been more relevant. Harpic Mission Paani is one of our key campaigns aimed at raising awareness and driving behavior change on water conservation and sanitation in India. At this point, the need for hygienic sanitation alongside efficient water management is absolutely critical for our country. Through Mission Paani, we are now keen to encourage all our citizens on driving optimum utilization of this crucial resource for improved hygiene and sanitation that will help save lives. Harpic with this strategic shift continues to play the role of an enabler in providing superior hygiene and healthier homes.”
Additionally, as a response to the ongoing pandemic, Mr. Laxman Narasimhan, Global CEO, Reckitt Benckiser Group, and Grammy award winner A.R Rahman launched the ‘Paani Anthem’ at the ‘Jal Pratigya Diwas’ virtual event, on 19th November, 2020, - World Toilet Day.
On future plans and goals to be achieved through #MissionPaani, Sukhleen Aneja, CMO & Marketing Director, RB Hygiene, South Asia said, “Children hold the key to our future and are hence the best evangelists for Mission Paani. With Harpic’s Mission Paani we wish to bring about a lasting behaviour change. Last year, we released the Water anthem co-created with legendary AR Rahman and rendered by an all-children’s choir urging India on the need for using water responsibly. This year Mission Paani has partnered with WWF and Swarovski School of Water to launch and has mobilized the water curriculum focused on teaching children the importance of water conservation from an early stage.”
As evident from Sheeko’s Activity Graph and Brandscore Ratings, Harpic India has been considerably active on digital platforms in the past year, but since the inception of the #MissionPaani initiative, there has been a significant increase in their numbers.
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