MAM
O&M’s polio television ads triumph at EFFIES
MUMBAI: A Unicef -supported television and radio campaign to fight polio won a silver medal at this year’s EFFIE Awards given by the advertising industry. The ceremony took place a few days ago.
The media campaign, developed by Ogilvy & Mather and featuring Amitabh Bachchan, came first in the services category at the annual awards.
According to a official release, Unicef’s India reprsentative Maria Calvis said, “This award is a credit to the hard work of the Government of India and its polio immunisation programme. The television and radio campaign has made an important contribution in raising awareness and motivating families to get their children protected from polio.”
The release informs that the media blitz was launched in January 2003 for National Immunisation Day. A research study in UP commissioned by Unicef found that more than 94 per cent of respondents reported that they came to a polio booth after seeing the spots on television.
The campaign coincided with the immunisation of an additional six million children at polio booths across the state between November 2002 and February 2003.
Calivis added, “This final push to beat polio is on track, thanks to the efforts of the government and its partners. We will continue to rely on the media to get the message home that no child is safe from polio until the disease is totally eradicated.”
About 112 polio cases have been reported so far in India this year, compared with 1600 cases in 2002. The next polio round is set for 14 September in 10 states covering northern India, Gujarat and West Bengal.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
