Some zebra crossings in Mumbai will soon go colour. To raise awareness about pedestrian safety, Nokia India has teamed up with the Public Works Department of Maharashtra to make the usual dull black-and-white crossings come alive in vibrant hues.

Nokia will paint the crossings to serve as a constant reminder to road users that things must change for the better.

Inaugurating the campaign, P. Balaji, Managing Director, Nokia India, painted a zebra crossing outside Sahara Star Hotel. It was the first among the 12 zebra crossings across Mumbai that Nokia will maintain for the next 12 months.

With about 12,000 people getting killed in road accidents in Maharashtra, the Nokia initiative could “help raise awareness about road safety and the need to drive responsibly,” said Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister of Public Works. He added that the citizen movement would encourage people to aid pedestrian safety.

The aim is to add more colour to people’s lives through a movement that is also attached to a cause. Through the campaign, Nokia claims it wants to be synonymous with colours.

“While this will add to the impactful brand identity that allows Nokia to stand out from the crowd, the approach has enabled the company to innovate through materials, bringing colour back into a market that was historically black and white,” said an official.

With its digital initiative #colourisin, Nokia would like to showcase that Indians like living vibrant lives. “The campaign will seek to remind people that nobody can be boxed in just one colour. The campaign straddles brand and corporate responsibility,” said the official.

Post the Mumbai roll-out, Nokia plans to splash colour across other cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore in some more innovative campaigns.

>amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in

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