Bangalore: Baby''s Day Out turned out to be a huge Hollywood money-spinner. A similar story could be brewing at Titan Industries, which has announced a viral marketing initiative branded, Titan''s Day Out, that involves employees.

1 September will see the ''Titan viral marketing brigade'' comprising Titan employees across eight cities, including Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Pune, communicate the company''s latest exchange offer (old watches for new at a 25-per cent discount) to anybody outside the Titan family.

Each member of the viral marketing team has to contact at least 10 people and tell them about the on-going exchange offer. To do this, they have to undertake any activity of their choice to spread awareness about the offer.

According to Harish Bhat, COO, watches, Titan Industries, the company hopes to make Titan employees feel like an integral part of Titan''s success through this initiative. Any Titan employee, from the management echelons to the courier boy, can register for this programme on 1 September and communicate with the public at large about the exchange offer. This endeavour spreads marketing activities at all levels and all functions like IT, finance or even HR, than just the marketing teams.

According to Bhat, the individual has the freedom to come out with innovative promotional methods, be it leaflets, meetings in apartments, SMS, e-mail, or any other mode of communication.

The company is of the view that such efforts at internal marketing, which involve employees, create a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

So far, 350 Titan employees have reportedly signed up for Titan''s viral marketing team.

Building on its corporate social responsibilities, for every participant in the event, Titan will contribute Rs500 to Bangalore''s Shrishti Special Academy. The members of the viral marketing team get an exchange coupon that entitles them to a 50-per cent discount on a new Titan watch, in exchange for an old one.

Titan plans to apply viral marketing to future promotions as well.

Bhat said that close to 4.5 lakh watches have been exchanged across India since 10 August, and is optimistic that around 7 lakh watches would probably be exchanged by the time the offer closes on 9 September.

The company has seen its sales triple during the 20-day period (from 10 August to 30 August) as compared to previous years.