The winter holidays have always had a special charm, representing a reason for joy, reflection and meeting with the loved ones. The situation generated by the pandemic has determined changes in the mood of Romanians, 56% of them expecting the holidays to be sadder this year, because they will be away from the loved ones due to social distancing, as shown by data from the Christmas Habits research, conducted by ISRA Center for Telekom Romania, in November 2020.
Throughout this difficult period, technology has kept Romania connected, regardless of its purpose, to support the authorities, the business environment, the medical field, to allow the continuation of the educational process, to facilitate the relationships and dialogue with friends or to bring entertainment, art and culture in the comfort of the Romanians’ homes.
Following the promise of Telekom brand to connect everybody to the opportunities of now, so that no one is left behind, the company’s new project, Call Santa, brings back to children the joy of meeting Santa Claus for the holidays, while having a special component, that of helping the elderly who had this job and who, due to the context we are going through, can no longer practice it, thus feeling abandoned and useless.
31% of the seniors who participated in the Perceptions of Seniors study (perceptions of Seniors, national representative study conducted by Reveal Market Research for Telekom Romania, in December 2020, through 502 door-to-door PAPI / TAPI (Pen and Paper Interviews/Tablet Assisted Personal Interviews) with men and women over 60 of age) say that the pandemic made them feel more alone than ever, 72% mention they see their loved ones less often than before, and 24% of them are financially affected by the current situation. At the same time, 41% say they would like to know more about how they can use the internet to keep in touch with the loved ones.
To support the two causes while respecting the constraints of social distance, safety and health, Telekom created the project Call Santa – a Work from Home program for several Santa Clauses, for which the company hired elderly people who in other years wore Santa’s clothes and who have now lost their jobs. Thus, through this project, children will benefit from a unique experience, an online meeting by video call with Santa Claus.
Parents who want to offer their children such an experience between December 18-24, 2020 must choose the date and hour on the sunamosu.ro website, starting today until December 24, within the available slots. After making the online appointment, the reservation is completed by sending an SMS with regular rate to the number 1206 with the text MOSCRACIUN, followed by receiving a taxable SMS with the cost of 1 euro plus VAT.
“We must continue to offer children beautiful memories, to make their childhood a story, even in this new paradigm we are going through. Through the project launched today, we want the magic of the holidays to continue, and the meeting with Santa Claus to take place, even if it has a new form, the digital one. We believe that it is truly a unique experience, which we are happy to offer to the little ones, but also to the elderly who enjoyed the holidays in the role of Santa Claus and who, in the context of the pandemic, were left without the chance of this meeting with the kids. We want Santa’s video call to be a memorable moment for the little ones, which we hope they will remember fondly for over the years”, said Andreas Elsner, Chief Commercial Officer, Residential Segment, Telekom Romania.
The amount resulting from the SMSs will be donated by Telekom to the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, in order to contribute to the programs dedicated to helping the elderly. Also, those who want to join the cause and donate to help the elderly, even if they do not want an online meeting with Santa, can donate 2 euros directly to the Foundation by sending an SMS with the text SINGUR (LONELY) to the number 8844.
“As part of the Santa Call project, we wanted to offer a chance to the elderly who were affected both financially and emotionally by the pandemic. Thus, we offer not only a temporary job to the people who joined us in this project in such an important role and with a special meaning, but also the possibility to be part of the joy of a family. At the same time, we want to reach even more elderly people through our approach, so Telekom will donate the amount resulting from SMSs to the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, to contribute to social programs dedicated to this category”, said Ruxandra Vodă, Corporate Communications Director, Telekom Romania.
More details regarding the campaign are available at sunamosu.ro.