The Situation:
SSGC – the Pakistani gas utility company in the southern region – was facing an image problem, being blamed for gas shortages and seen as lacking empathy due to frequent gas load shedding. However, the careless approach of people towards gas consumption was what actually caused these shortages, as a large volume of gas was being wasted across the majority of households.
People did not realize the importance of conserving gas and did not even know the right way to do it. Being wrongfully held responsible and having lost the ability to preach, SSGC needed to educate audiences about how gas could be conserved the right way, while elevating its image in the public eye.
Insight
A great amount of gas is wasted during cooking, while the chef does not even realize it. However, when gas shortages occur, it causes the same chef great frustration.
The Idea:
‘Bachat Ka Tadka’ – a fun and entertaining 10-episode cooking web-series featuring one of Pakistan’s most famous celebrity chefs, Chef Saadat – connects SSGC to the pains felt by everyday people in the kitchen.
The cooking show focused on how one could make new dishes from daily leftover food, promoting the idea of food conservation. The concept of gas conservation was seamlessly integrated in each episode, as Chef Saadat did not only make sure not to waste food, but also talked about the importance of conserving gas and demonstrated how it could be done in different ways.
This helped people realize that SSGC understood the problems faced by them due to gas shortages, and that the best way to tackle them is to practice effective gas conservation.
The Result:
By the end of this campaign, negative sentiment on Social Media was turned around into positive comments from audiences, who were able to relate to how SSGC was trying hard to make gas accessible to every household, despite gas wastage.
