MAM
P&G brings ‘Thank you, Mom’ campaign to India
MUMBAI: In 2010 when global FMCG leader Procter & Gamble (P&G) sponsored the US team for the Winter Olympics that year, little did the company know that it was the beginning of a long standing marketing strategy which will spread the world over. That year, P&G helped 250 women across America to make it to Vancouver to see their children compete at the Winter Olympics and adopt the tagline ‘proud sponsor of moms‘.
By end 2010, the FMCG giant experienced incremental sales amounting to $100 million and a 39 per cent increase in brand recall. The initiative was met with an overwhelming response and the FMCG giant decided to convert the agreement into a 10-year association with the Olympic Games.
Taking forward this initiative, the company introduced the ‘Thank you mom‘ campaign where there were videos of athletes being taken care of and encouraged by their mothers, all culminating in their ‘thankful‘ gaze on winning in their respective sport. The campaign has been taken across the globe and was recently launched in India as well.
So how does the company expect to reap rewards from a campaign associated with the Olympics where public interest is low and awareness probably even lower? To start with, here too P&G will be sponsoring athletes like boxer Mary Kom and runner Kavita Raut and will give their mothers a chance to see them perform at London later this year.
In India though, the ‘Thank You, Mom‘ campaign has taken a more literal form and the FMCG major is playing the wishing well of sorts. P&G has initiated the ‘Fulfil Her Wish‘ drive in India and is inviting consumers to confide in it their mother‘s wish. The company has pledged to fulfil the wish by Mother‘s Day (13 May).
P&G has been using avenues ranging from mainstream advertising to social media, on-ground activations and exclusive toll free numbers to record people‘s pledges and messages.
Recently, P&G organised an event at Bandra‘s Amphitheatre at Carter Road in Mumbai as part of its India initiative. The company provided a platform for kids to thank their mothers on the eve of Mother‘s Day with Bollywood actors Dia Mirza and Prachi Desai present with their respective mothers.
Mirza and Desai sparked off the event by penning their mothers‘ wish on the wish lanterns and set it afloat in the sky. They were joined by many other kids repeating the gesture and pledging to fulfil their mother‘s wish by penning them on their own wish lanterns.
According to a global survey commissioned by P&G across 12 countries in the Asia Pacific region, 55 per cent of the respondents in India expressed appreciation to their mothers infrequently whereas 23 per cent of respondents in India could not even remember the last time they thanked their moms. The findings from the survey provided guidance to the “Thank You Mom” campaign and in creating a platform for children to thank the unsung heroes of their lives – their mothers.
An official statement from the FMCG major stated: “P&G recognises the silent sacrifices that each mom makes in raising her child and provides a rare opportunity to everyone to thank their moms; with a deed, an action a gesture that we seldom express through this unique platform.”
Brands
Amazon inks $30m carbon credit deal with Indian rice farmers
Methane-cutting farming push links climate goals with farmer income
NEW DELHI: Amazon has signed a $30 million agreement to purchase carbon credits generated by Indian rice farmers, marking one of the largest agriculture-linked carbon deals in the country to date and signalling a shift in how corporates approach climate action.
The agreement is being executed through the Good Rice Alliance, a collaboration between Bayer, GenZero, and Shell Nature-Based Solutions, backed by Singapore’s Temasek. Rather than dealing directly with individual farmers, Amazon is tapping into this alliance to scale the programme efficiently.
At the heart of the initiative is a relatively simple shift in farming practice known as Alternate Wetting and Drying. Traditionally, rice paddies remain flooded, creating oxygen-free conditions that produce methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Under the new method, fields are periodically allowed to dry, disrupting methane formation while maintaining crop yields.
The benefits go beyond emissions. The approach significantly reduces water usage, a crucial advantage in regions already facing water stress. For farmers, it also opens up a new income stream. By adopting climate-friendly techniques, they earn carbon credits that can be sold to companies like Amazon, effectively turning sustainability into a revenue opportunity.
The current phase of the project covers more than 13,000 smallholder farmers across roughly 35,000 hectares. Amazon expects the initiative to offset about 685,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, offering a measurable contribution to its broader climate commitments.
The deal is notable not just for its scale but for its direction. While many companies have historically focused on forestry or renewable energy offsets, this move highlights growing interest in agriculture-based solutions that tackle methane emissions directly. It also reflects the increasing sophistication of carbon markets, where even small, decentralised farms can be integrated into global climate strategies.
For India, the implications are significant. As the world’s largest rice producer and one of the biggest methane emitters, scaling such models could play a meaningful role in meeting climate targets while supporting rural livelihoods.
For Amazon, the message is clear. Climate action is no longer just about reducing emissions within operations. It is also about reshaping supply chains and ecosystems. And in this case, the path to net zero runs straight through the paddy fields.
