BiC believes that improving education in South Africa could rewrite this nursery rhyme for thousands of South African children and has committed to donating at least one million pens to disadvantaged learners in March via its Choose BiC and Change a Future campaign.
For BiC marketing manager of stationery, Millicent Quoilin, making sure that children have basic equipment like pens is a first step to providing a more effective and fulfilling learning experience – one that could ultimately turn out the skilled workforce, doctors, engineers and teachers that this country needs.
Although parents spent millions to equip their children for school during the first three months of the 2011 school year, a large portion of the 12 283 875 learners enrolled in 25 851 schools lacked the most basic educational tools.
As market leader with 52 percent of the writing instruments market, she said BiC knew that something as simple as a pen was key to a child’s education. “We’re perfectly positioned to make a difference. This is not just about showing that a brand with a cause can inspire loyalty, but also about empowering customers to actually make a difference by partnering with us and helping us reach our target.”
Over 20 different BiC products carry a Choose BiC and Change a Future sticker. Each time one of these packs is sold, BiC donates a pen to a disadvantaged child. The pens will be distributed by the READ Educational Trust to more than 200 000 schools.
The campaign is supported by an integrated marketing campaign that includes electronic and print media as well as social media, PR, eye-catching point of sale and in store brand ambassadors. To prove that it is cool to care, BiC is also running two competitions for consumers. The first, which offers 20 cash prizes of R5 000 to be spent on education, encourages consumers to sms the words CHOOSE BiC to the dedicated number at a reduced cost of just 50 cents. Bringing the sms rate down will enable a far wider cross section of consumers to enter. The second brings Facebook fans on board. For every ‘like’ received, BiC donates a pen to a child in need and the friend in line to win one of four iPad 2’s.
This year, BiC has also linked its partnership with Wimpy with the Choose BiC and Change a Future campaign. To drive sales of the BiC colouring range, all BiC Kids Products carry a special sticker offering a free Wimpy ice cream when consumers purchase a BiC kids product.
“Through all of this, our message is that BiC plays an important role in children’s lives. We have set out to emotionally engage with our customers. Many are parents and we want to define our brand as one that sees the future potential of their children as well as the potential of less fortunate children,” she said.
Quoilin explained that BiC had fully embraced cause related marketing which saw companies, their customers and both non-government and government organizations develop win-win partnerships. “BiC has had to confront the fact that education, learning and the chance of a better future is out of reach of many South African children. That’s why 200 000 children between seven and 15 receive no form of schooling. 13 percent of 16 year-olds has not completed primary school and only 44 percent of working age individuals has completed secondary school. Dropout rates are far too high and just one in four matriculants is able to go to university. We believe we can help change that,” she said.
“One million pens sponsored by BiC will give the READ Educational Trust a terrific start to 2012. In READ’s on-going commitment to overcome South Africa’s appalling literacy status, being equipped with writing implements is as important as having books to read. Being able to put one’s thoughts down is the start of a good education. Since today’s learners are those who will be writing South Africa’s future, the significance of a donation such as this cannot be underestimated,” added Bertus Matthee, national director of the READ Educational Trust.
For further information about the Choose BiC and Change a Future campaign, log
on to www.bic.co.za or visit BiC South Africa on Facebook.
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