As part of my daily routine at work, I have to scour the web. Whether it’s for inspiration for a concept that we are working on or research on new and novel ways to execute a successful campaign.
I chanced upon this campaign by NTT Resonant, “Social Media Save The Earth” – Goo Home Project
Leveraging on one of the top social networks in Japan, Mixi (source: CNNGo) to build a community for their Community Service Relations (CSR) program with the Goo Home Project.
The Goo Home Project allows people to congregate in a sea themed social network, for every 30 members who band together to form virtual corals by virtue of their connections, the Goo Home Project will plant a real coral in the Okinawa Sea with a card showing the members’ registered nicknames. Members will be able to view and share this. Making environmental issues a driver to build social networks.
Although all this just seems like a novel idea that will fizzle out after a while, the Goo Home Project managed to hit a critical mass of 51,360 members in just 3.5 months. This communication got publicity worth over US$1,420,000. 1,712 pieces of coral have been planted in the Okinawa Sea to date, and contributing to the decline in CO2. The planted coral will in turn start reproducing and contribute to reducing the CO2 footprint in Japan.
I wonder if “building” a coral reef around the water bodies around the South East Asian region to be practical, probably we could try some sort of a similar campaign here.