Celebrities do their bit to Battle the Y2K Bug

When cricketer Ajay Jadeja says: “We’re in the slog overs – there’s not much time left. Only a team effort can do it,” it is not cricket he is talking about.

Peering out a slick commercial issued by the Union government’s Department of Electronics (DoE), now the Ministry of Information Technology (MIT), Jadeja is promoting awareness about the Y2K problem and how it can affect him and everyone around.

Jadeja and several celebrities and eminent personalities, including Ritu Beri, fashion designer and exporter, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata group of industries, and K.B. Dadiseth, chairman Hindustan Lever Limited, have been roped in by the DoE for the “Good Morning 2000, Let’s be Y2K OK” campaign.

And even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will join the other celebrities in the Y2K OK campaign that has been appearing in major Indian newspapers, magazines and prime-time television networks since the last week of September.

A key figure in the campaign is Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Finance Secretary and chairman of the Y2K task force set up by the government. Ahluwalia, who appeals to people to “join us in the war on the Y2K Bug,” told India Abroad that he was “functionally involved in the campaign as the chairman of the task force.”

Shri S. Ramakrishnan, senior director, Y2K coordinator and in charge of Y2K cell in MIT since December 1998, told India Abroad that the Rs. 104 million ($2.4 million) campaign technically began in July 1998, with Ravindra Gupta, former secretary of DoE, realizing the importance of making the country’s systems Y2K compliant and writing a letter to every ministry about the problem.

“In December 1998, the Y2K cell, headed by me, realized that the media had to be used to promote awareness, stimulate people into action, and then instill confidence in the public about the compliance achieved,” Ramakrishnan said.

In March 1999, the DAVP, the government arm for publicity, was asked to bring out ads, Ramakrishnan said, adding that, however, the DoE realized that though it was carried out in 122 newspapers, regional and national, the campaign was inadequate and of ‘average’ quality.

“Also 95 percent of the people were already aware of the problem. So we wanted to stimulate them into action. In June, Lintas, which came up with good ideas on shaking complacent people into action, was selected to work on the campaign along with DoE and DAVP,” he added.

Ramakrishnan said Lintas was chosen not just because it had more reach than DAVP, which covered only the state-run Doordarshan network and print media. “The topic was also complex and their idea of roping in celebrities was acceptable and interesting to us,” he added.

About eight to nine celebrities were picked up to promote the second phase of the campaign to focus on Y2K’s widespread effect.

Thus figures Jadeja in the ad: “I thought I would be the last person to be affected by the Y2K bug. I’m not a businessman, or one of those high-tech computer guys, but I will not be spared by the bug, because it affects telephones and electricity and water services running on date-dependent microchips.”

Fashion designer Beri appeals to small exporters and businessmen to make their systems Y2K OK since “to compete with the big boys of the world, you have to live by a different set of rules. Being Y2K is one of them.”

Even Dr. K.G. Nair, medical director, Breach Candy Hospital, has been roped in to prove the widespread affect of Y2K: “What does a doctor have to do with the Y2K problem? Well, the bug isn’t just about computers, and can affect any machines, including diagnostic machines and critical care instrumentation. The Y2K Bug can be a life or death matter. Even if you don’t use computers. Don’t let the Bug affect the health of your business.”

Ramakrishnan told India Abroad that the campaign was “a coup of sorts as we got people like Ratan Tata, Dadiseth, who never before appeared in commercials, to star in the ad and “none of the celebrities took a single penny for featuring in the ad.”

The campaign was well-received by media and public, Ramakrishnan said, adding it has a potential to become the best ad of 1999. In Japan and Britain, it was well appreciated. In Bangladesh and Nepal, it was considered a “zappy” idea, he added.

The impact of the ad was so great that of the 50,000 brochures of the infopack, “Good Morning 2000,” printed, 25,000 were already dispatched on order in a period of just one-and-a-half to two months.

The idea was well-received thanks to its hard-hitting presentation. The ad not just warns about the problem and offers help, but also markets the idea as a constructive step by saying: “Remember: This situation could easily be converted to the excuse you needed to modernize your communication network.”

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad-based CMC has created a helpdesk for the DoE and put up a Website: www.y2k.gov.in. The help desk, to be operational till Jan. 15, 2000, gives practical advice on how to tackle the Y2K problem.

Ramakrishnan said the campaign will continue till December end though the Y2K cell has already exhausted its budget, spending Rs. 40 million on newspapers and Doordarshan through DAVP, and Rs. 60 million on satellite channels and other newspapers through Lintas.

“But, we are ‘Never Say Die’ guys and are urging the ministry for more funds for the third phase of the campaign, which will focus on public advisory, instilling confidence in people by informing them about the extent of Y2K compliance achieved till date,” he added.