Customer Engagement Case Study: Panasonic’s Social Campaign to Light 100,000 Lives

By Marie Alonso

Imagine giving light to people living in darkness. Panasonic imaged such a formidable task. Then, Panasonic took action.

In 2013, the company launched its 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project. The goal was clear: Provide 100,000 solar lanterns to off-grid communities by 2018 – the year of the company’s 100th anniversary.

The project – dubbed Cut Out The Darkness – is a shining example of what a global company can do to recruit large-scale community engagement by sharing powerful stories, captivating videos, and a unique call for social media participation.

A Campaign to Create Change

What’s so special about Cut Out The Darkness? It’s the personal touch, empowered by Panasonic, that allows people to empathize with the plight of others, endorse the opportunity to create positive change, and advocate – even praise – the endeavor on social media. The way the campaign works:

• People visit the program's website where they learn about the campaign through heartwarming – and heart wrenching – videos and commentary.

• At the website, people can design and create their very own lantern designs, which are then displayed for all to see. Visitors then vote on the designs that most intrigue or inspire them, and the winners are elevated to production status – to decorate the lanterns.

• The drive has featured designs by globally celebrated artists, including Japan’s Hina Aoyama, Elaine Power of the United States, Great Britain’s Julene Harrison and more – plus thousands upon thousands of designs submitted by everyday people entranced by the mission and cause.

• Once a person creates a lantern design, they can share the design via Twitter, Facebook, and other social platforms, allowing for a personal endorsement of Panasonic’s endeavor.

• Panasonic enables all program videos, designs, and images to be shared via social media creating a beautiful social engagement platform rooted in the celebration not only of creativity and expression, but more significantly of a global responsibility to sustainable energy and compassion for those less fortunate.

For those living off the grid in remote locations throughout the world, Panasonic has provided these people with a solar LED lantern and a rechargeable battery for storing solar energy to charge small mobile devices. The lantern is designed to provide 360 degrees of illumination, enabling users to light an entire room.

Power of Social Engagement

Currently, there are about 1.32 billion people worldwide living without electricity, mainly in developing countries in Asia and Africa. Many homes in these regions use kerosene lamps for lighting, but they pose a risk of fire, and the smoke released by them is harmful to human health. The lack of electric light in these regions also means challenges in the areas of health-care, education, and the economy.

Panasonic’s Cut Out The Darkness campaign casts a colossal spotlight on the plight of these people. By being socially and globally relevant, and enticing participation with an artistic component that speaks to and invites the global community to get involved, Panasonic has created an experience – not just a campaign.

Perhaps Panasonic is casting light on another element, too. With its Cut Out The Darkness campaign, with monumental social media appeal, it is calling out to all businesses – small and large – to embrace and engage the power of social media to inspire a change for the better.