by Lindsay Paterson
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- French shampoo brand Dop is inviting consumers to adopt a piece of rubbish from a French beach as part of a publicity campaign for its new organic range of shampoos (MinuteBuzz.fr, 9 April 2011).
- Potential adopters visit the Dop site, where they’re invited to select a piece of rubbish on a beach, name it, choose a godfather and godmother for it, and publish the adoption on Facebook.
- When consumers click on their chosen piece of rubbish, they’re presented with information about the damage it does to the environment.
- When the adoption is complete, Dop will send €5 for every kilo of rubbish adopted to a charity which cleans up French beaches.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- An ironic treatment of a serious issue makes cleaning up the environment less dour, and adding a fun social-media element can spread the word faster than the average ad campaign.
- Showing consumers you care about what they care about – in this case a pristine beach and a healthy environment – is great for business, particularly if there are green products on offer to match the green aspirations.
RESOURCES
