Category: Good Works

Dan over at RedAnt points to a good works campaign by realestate.com.au. The aim of the campaign was to use outdoor advertising to generate 100,000 clicks through to a URL that encourages us to "do something for kids" — specifically, to take on one of the 200 foster kids that need a safe home this Christmas.

If the 100,000 target was achieved, then the company would donate the remaining billboard space to this promotion.

Dan has a number of points about whether this promotion was successful or not — but what struck me most was the lost opportunity. Now I live in Sydney and keep an ear out for viral projects and good works … but the first time I hear about this particular campaign is when it is over.

Luckily, realestate.com.au have continued to support this cause — but I can’t help but think, that with a little extra strategic thinking, much greater traction could have ensued. Surely 100,000 clicks is a small target — and the potential to impact young lives is a worth more than a karma credit or two.

So if you live in Sydney and are interested in becoming a foster carer, take a look at this site.

S.

Seeing a child in pain or distress is agonising. To look into a small face and see a mixture of sadness, pain and acceptance can make your heart break.

The children who go through prolonged hospitalisation have much to deal with. It is not just the illness, the family anxiety or treatment that they have to go through … there is much in the hospital environment that can appear daunting, upsetting and hostile to young eyes.

An old buddy of mine, Ed, has been working with Gosford Hospital to help make the kids treatment rooms a little more pleasant. We talk about the importance of EXPERIENCE, well this a really good example of how the WAY that you experience something can CHANGE your life. By removing the barriers to a happier experience, by making the environment more inviting, more visually engaging and recognisably kid-oriented, these procedure, play and treatment rooms will make a big impact on the way that children will experience a hospital stay. See more of the pics here.

Ed, is a big guy with a soft heart … and an enormous talent. Some time ago, he setup a business that would use his skills in illustration, design and animation while also giving him time to care for his son. If you live in AUSTRALIA and would like to see this sort of work in your house, business (or even kindergarten), you can contact him through his site — ejkdesigns.com.au.

S.

Despite my lack of interest in market research, whenever I get a call from a research firm I tend to agree to take the survey. And as I am listening, I am thinking "that is the wrong question", or "that question should have been worded differently …" and so on … but I still take it.

I must admit, I feel VERY sorry for those making the call … you can hear the defeat in their voice. And I kind of like to hear a little perkiness in their tone as I say "I’d be happy to answer your questions for 25 minutes". The point is, I take the survey, because I feel that this does, in some small way, support the industry in which I work.

So today, when I say this request for survey takers on Mario Sundar’s blog, I couldn’t resist. And if YOU have a couple of minutes to spare, jump over and complete it too. You’d be helping us all really.

S.

We can chalk this up to BSP … but if you would like to know HOW we, as marketers, innovators or creative thinkers can influence a brand, take a look at this post by Olivier Blanchard. Entitled "Become More Than Just a Business", Olivier shares a story of how one of his clients has decided to go with a good-work promotion. After the meeting, Olivier’s client even says:

"you know, I’ve always wanted to do something like this. After all these years, I’m finally going to get to do it."

Just goes to show there is not just marketers interested in KarmaCredits, but also brands. Now … if only we can bring the two together!

PS … I am still trying to get the KarmaCredits back-end system all working nicely … almost done. (Boy, how did I volunteer for that?).

S.

Today is the day to register your protest about Internet censorship. Hosted by the Reporters without Borders site, this online protest/demonstration will run from 11 a.m. (Paris time) on Tuesday, 7 November to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 8 November. See the full details here.

All you need to do is to click on an interactive map. This small action will register your protest and change the appearance of the map — "Every click will help Reporters Without Borders to speak with more force when it condemns the behaviour of those regimes that censor what should an arena for free expression".

With thanks to Dina.

Men are notoriously bad at managing their own health. We avoid regular health checks, ignore warning signs, refuse to change our diet, drinking or smoking habits and think that the best form of sport is one you can participate in without moving. Ok … maybe that is just me.

As part of a campaign to raise awareness about prostate cancer and depression, November has been renamed "Movember".

And for the month of Movember the challenge is to change the face of men’s health … by growing a mo. You can become a "mo bro" individually or as part of a team. You can sign up here.

Or if you want to sponsor my fabulous mo … go here and use my registration number 42403.

S.

It is all very well to talk about karma credits, but what exactly are they? What do they look like? How do you get them? And importantly, what do they taste like (I will give you a hint — they are very tasty and immensely satisfying).

Join the conversation on Karma Credits here.

Go on … you know you want to!

S.

We had a great coffee morning here in Sydney today, organised by the charming Emily. You can see the photos here.

If was great to get together and talk, drink coffee and solve the world’s problems.

Speaking of which, following on from this post, I have setup a new blog site called KarmaCredits.org and invite you all to come along and participate. It is all pretty free-form at the moment, but I think it is going to be a lot of fun. AND it doesn’t matter WHERE in the world you live … this is VIRTUAL baby.

We all talk about changing the world … or "giving back" to society. Well here’s your chance to stop talking and start doing!

S.

The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman.

It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "fund free mammograms" for free (pink window in the middle).

It is not everyday that one simple action can change another person’s life — actually it is. And it is this simple.

S.

It does my heart good to see creative energies and resources put towards making the world a better place! From time to time I see or read something that "cuts through". And in some cases it does more. On these rare occasions, I have a deeper reaction that reminds me of this great quote by Kafka (he was referring to books):

‘I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn’t shake us awake like a blow on the skull, why bother reading it in the first place? So that it can make us happy, as you put it? Good God, we’d be just as happy if we had no books at all; books that make us happy we could, at a pinch, also write ourselves. What we need are books that hit us like a most painful misfortune, like the death of someone we loved more than we love ourselves, that make us feel as though we had been banished to the woods, far from any human presence, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is what I believe.’

It can be amazing to see how "belief" in a subject or product or service can really drive an emotional engagement right through a creative team … and the end result is often an emotionally compelling piece of work. The example below (courtesy of Brent Terrazas) was created for the Australian Childhood Foundation. Shame we have to see it online rather than on TV.