rchies Greetings and Gifts did it with considerable success. McDonald�s set a benchmark of sorts in India with it. Now Spice Communications, a telecom service provider in Karnataka, has joined the war. The target: Parents. The means: Children.

In May, the company organised a camp for a select group of eight-to-15-year-olds at Anthargange, 60 km from Bangalore. What�s special about these kids is the fact that they are the children of some of Spice�s high-value customers. The company�s strategy was clear - use the children as a means to retain their parents as customers, and urge them to use their phones more frequently and for longer duration. Says Vishwas Shivapur, creative director, rmg connect, the direct marketing agency that masterminded the whole exercise, "The idea was to talk to children in their language and excite them into participating in the adventure camp. With this, Spice hoped to build a strong relationship with their parents."... more