This post highlights the top 5 rocking social concepts (and digital) to hit the internet pre-Christmas 2012. You’ll be amazed how the theme of ‘giving’ has spread across the internet like viral wildfire to include weekly giving offers, yearly charity crusades and one off hyped up events.
# 1. Grow your Mo for Movember (Prostate Cancer)
The Movember social concept is simple – grow a moustache for the month of November in aid of Prostate Cancer and make a donation. The social aspect is the sharing of photos and videos of the ‘growth’ taking place. It’s a social concept that is easy to adopt (for the men folk) and fun to follow. Just join in and share your photos/videos. Top marks for simplicity!
# 2. Create a Gathering (Ireland) for the Gathering 2013
The Gathering is set for 2013 and is a tourism-led event that inspires Irish residents to invite their families from abroad, to visit Ireland. While the government do have a hand in promoting the initiative, it’s down to the residents in Ireland to jump on the band wagon, so to speak. Via the website, you can set up an account and create an event with invites. The real question on everyone’s lips is – will there be enough room on the planes and ferries for all the Irish immigrants to travel in. We hope so, because it’s sure to be one hell of a party season.
# 3. #GivingTuesday
Giving Tuesday is a follow on from the popular cyber Monday and Black Friday digital concepts and it’s designed to ‘give back’ via companies and non-profits. To take part, just use the hashtag #Giving Tuesday on a Tuesday and state what you intend to give. Example: Sony is giving $1 for every re-pin it gets on Pinterest between #GivingTuesday and the end of the year to the Michael Phelps Foundation towards the Boys and Girls.
This “Pin It to Give It” is the first we’ve seen to donate money for re-pins (though Elizabeth Arden has donated eyeliner for re-pins). The electronics company will give up to $25,000 toward the cause, as part of its Love to Give program. (Thanks to Elish for finding this one!)
# 4. Hope Foundation and the Gifts of Hope Christmas Promotion
This social concept is linked to the Hope Foundation’s ecommerce website and allows the customer to select a practically personal present (a packaged donation). Purchasers can choose from Education, Healthcare, Training, Rural Family or Life Changing Gifts, and within each category there are a selection of gifts such as a pair of shoes, money towards a coach, a hospital care pack, nurse care and much more. This switch from the typical general donation means the giver can specify their present and know that their money is being spent on their preferences.
# 5. Electric Ireland and ‘Powering Kindness’
Random Acts of Kindness is not a ‘new’ idea. We’ve seen the ‘free hugs’ campaign already. So it’s encouraging to see how the concept is adapted. Electric Ireland took it to a new ‘media’ level with Powering Kindness Week. A website, Facebook page and advertising, outdoor advertising and TV adverts were all part and parcel of the campaign. Via the website you can share your kind ‘deeds’ (for one week only) and decide which of three charities you would like to benefit. The choices are: Special Olympics Ireland. Focus Ireland and Concern Worldwide. At the end of the week, the €100,000 donation money will be split, with the ‘winning’ charity receiving a slightly higher portion.
The rise of social and digital concepts is raising the game for businesses, brands and social sector initiatives. In keeping with social, these ideas are exploring how the media world and the social world are connected.
Have you any social concept examples to share?
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