Plank for India Initiative
Bajaj Allianz Life ideated the plank initiative in 2018 with the purpose of enabling people to achieve their life goals through healthy living.. Through the plank initiative, Bajaj Allianz Life emphasized on getting one’s health and life goals done, in keeping with the message, ‘Good health leads to Life Goals Done’. Over the two editions, Bajaj Allianz Life spearheaded and popularized the plank movement and also earned itself two ‘Guinness World RecordsTM feats for the most number of people holding the abdominal plank position for one minute. Bajaj Allianz Life, through its plank initiative, has strived for collective participation for better health and fuelled the unconventional life goals of Indians – Staying Fit and healthy. At the same time, the Company has also associated itself with noble societal causes during both the editions of plank movements - The #36SecPlankChallenge in 2018 and #PlankForIndia in 2020
Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon – A Brief History
Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon 2018
On 12 September 2018, Bajaj Allianz Life unveiled a uniquely engaging #36SecPlankChallenge initiative, on the back of the launch of Bajaj Allianz Life Health Care Goal, a critical illness product covering 36 critical illnesses. The initiative began with a video asking viewers to hold a plank, and challenge their friends for a healthier world. Viewers were asked to shoot a video holding a plank for only 36 seconds and upload it using the hashtag (#36SecPlankChallenge) on any social media platform. Participants could then tag their friends and family, and ask them to do the plank challenge. For every hashtag, the insurance company contributed monetarily to Hrudaya Cure A Little Heart Foundation (Hrudaya Foundation), a Hyderabad-based healthcare organization dedicated towards curing heart disorders of disadvantaged children.
This plank challenge campaign became viral within a week and saw active participation from sports stars including Saina Naiwal, Geeta Phogat and Deepa Malik, fitness enthusiasts like Rannvijay Singh and Bani J, CEOs and several corporate leaders from all over India. Overall, the plank challenge campaign witnessed participation of 1.2 lakh people across the nation within just two months, while reaching an audience of 11 million across social media platforms.
#36SecPlankChallenge initiative culminated with the first ever Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon on 25 November 2018, at Pune’s AFMC Ground. This plank challenge event was spearheaded by Shilpa Shetty Kundra, where 2,353 participants set a new Guinness World Record feat for ‘Most people holding the abdominal plank position’ together for one minute.
Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon 2020
On 9 January 2020, Bajaj Allianz Life brought back the second edition of its plank initiative, another viral sensation with #PlankForIndia. The second edition raised the bar for two reasons - First, for every plank challenge video recorded and uploaded on social media channels, the company contributed monetarily towards the training and development of India’s emerging sports stars. Second, through the cause of supporting India’s future athletes, the company also encouraged more people to keep themselves fit for achieving their Health and Life Goals.
To kick-start the #PlankForIndia initiative, veteran Bollywood actor and icon Anil Kapoor participated in the plank challenge, and shared an inspirational message on social media. The #PlankForIndia campaign once again saw celebrities, corporate leaders and athletes join the plank movement to support India’s emerging sports stars. Cricketer Mithali Raj, boxing legend Mary Kom, sprinter Dutee Chand and Indian footballing icon Sunil Chhetri, and corporate leader Sanjiv Bajaj, MD & CEO, Bajaj Finserv, were some of the few names who joined forces with Anil Kapoor.
On 26 January 2020, Bajaj Allianz Life once again created history during the second Plankathon event held at Mumbai’s MMRDA Grounds. It set a new Guinness World Records with 2,471 people simultaneously holding the abdominal plank position for one minute. The second edition of Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon was spearheaded by Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast Anil Kapoor, who urged everyone to set and achieve their health goals. Enthusiastic participants from varied professional backgrounds took part in the event, making the second edition of Plankathon a smashing success.The #BajajAllianzLifePlankathon video had over 3.2 Million views across Bajaj Allianz Life social media channels. 6 Million + views if you see the views on Influencer channels. The campaign had a reach of over 1.28M people during its duration.