In lieu of the #WeareResponsible initiative introduced by the leadership in the UAE, Yardstick Marketing has introduced a series titled #InformAndInspire, bringing together experts from various different fields to instill hope and inspire the audience through their online channels. Communicate spoke with Anishkaa Gehani, Founder and CEO of Yardstick Marketing Management, to learn more about it.

What inspired you to create this initiative?

Relationships that are built through hard times can be exceptionally resilient. This is how the idea for the series was conceived. The series is essentially a Covid-19 brainchild that reinstated the importance of community, collaboration, and engagement. The aim was primarily to bring together experts from various fields to instill hope and inspire audiences through the series promoted on social media.

To me personally, this was a way of giving back and contributing to the greater good of our society at large. Primarily, we visualized 16 [episodes] that would run over two months and address critical subjects. We received a phenomenal number of responses from our speakers and audiences alike. I have received direct messages on how the series has helped people deal with their challenges during the pandemic, and how they look forward to every episode. The growing engagement and number of messages we have received have enabled us to continue our outreach and extend beyond the stipulated period.

My team has collectively dedicated more than 500 hours over the last four months to put these snippets of information together. Overall, it has been a fulfilling journey and I’m glad we continue to add value through the initiative that now addresses many more subjects, as we continue to return to the new normal. Moving forward, the campaign will journey towards informing and inspiring as we move ahead with facing our everyday challenges.

There are some interesting topics being covered in the series. What were the reasons for choosing these topics in particular?

Information is critical to any decision-making process, and at the same time, the idea was to instill hope and positivity as we aimed at inspiring people, through thought-leaders, celebrated authors, and renowned speakers. The broad topics we shortlisted were on business models and coaching, team building, motivation, life skills, physical and mental wellness, nutrition and fitness, technology, parenting, etc. We wanted to ensure that we covered all aspects of a personal and professional life.

How were the speakers selected for each topic?

The team had put in almost 75 hours researching speakers that specialize in subjects related to mental, financial, and physical wellbeing. We approached a number of global authors and TEDx speakers and invited them to participate in the series. We have a stellar line-up of professionals who have addressed key topics ranging from managing your cashflows, strategizing business models, physical and mental wellness, etc.

What do you hope to achieve with this series?

We hope to continue spreading awareness and encouraging optimism through positive communication. Special acknowledgement and appreciation to all the speakers who took the time to contribute, and to my team that has worked relentlessly and passionately to put this valuable content together. We [hope that] this content [will] inspire as many people as [possible.]