More than ever a company’s sustainability and CSR efforts are important and highly regarded by consumers and other brands in the market.
Although both clients and agencies let their creativity run wild on this type of campaign, looking for the most appealing, insightful, and emotional manner to get to the consumer, realizing a good, strategic, and creative CSR campaign is not such an easy task as some might think.
Therefore, in no particular order, we decided to present you 10 of the most interesting, smart, and beautiful CSR campaigns of the world in the last years, that really impressed us and hopefully will inspire you as well.
The Best 10 CSR Campaigns of the last years
1. Marks & Spencer – “Shwopping”
Every item you place in one of our Shwop boxes helps to put an end to poverty. Your Shwopped items are resold, reused, or recycled and allow Oxfam to fund all sorts of vital projects around the world.
Incredibly, since 2008 the M&S and Oxfam Shwopping partnership have collected over 20 million items, worth an estimated £16 million for Oxfam’s work.
So next time you’re clearing a space in your wardrobe, drop any unwanted clothes into your bag and drop them off in a Shwop box at your nearest M&S. It’s so easy.
2. National MS Society – “Off My Wave”
After decades of surfing, local legend Steve Bettis was diagnosed with progressive MS in 2006. While surfing is still central to his life, he hasn’t been able to get on the water in 10 years.
National MS Society and professional surfer Robert “Wingnut” Weaver worked together to create a virtual-reality experience to get Steve back on a wave.
Share your own experience with someone at WeAreStrongerThanMS.org.
3. Under Armour – “I Will What I Want”
The campaign speaks to women who do not need permission, advice, or affirmation from others in order to achieve their dreams.
Droga5 developed an extensive campaign that kicked off with a film featuring ballerina Misty Copeland who proves that inner strength and sheer will can trump adversity.
4. Misereor – The Social Swipe
This was the world’s first interactive advertisement display able to accept credit card donations.
All potential donors had to do to donate €2 to German international development charity MISEREOR was swiping their credit card through a specially designed poster. Once they’d done this, they received instant feedback on what their gift would achieve.
There were two creative executions. On one poster the credit card cut through the image of the bound hands of an imprisoned Filipino child.
On the other, the donors could use their credit cards to cut a slice of bread from a loaf. The bread represented the cost to provide a daily meal for a family in Peru.
Moreover, donors were given the chance to turn their one-off gift into a regular gift through a request on their bank statement.
5. Unilever – Farewell To The Forest
Unilever has set out to protect one million trees in Brazil and Indonesia.
This is all part of a wider scheme to halve the environmental footprint of their products by 2020 – a fast-approaching deadline.
Between them, London-based Ogilvy & Mather, and Argentinian Ogilvy spin-off DAVID have created a touching film to promote this goal.
6. Samsung – Bringing Light To Ethiopia
Samsung’s partnership with the Korea International Volunteer Organization has brought solar-powered lanterns to areas where electricity is scarce.
This resource has helped children, like Aster, help their family. With added light, she is self-sufficient and able to: make more baskets, save money, and provide for her family.
7. Ad Council – #IamAWitness
“I am a Witness” for Ad Council introduced the world’s first emoji created for a social cause.
The emoji, which is now on every iPhone and Android phone, is a way of combating not just bullying but also any apprehensiveness about stepping in that witnesses may be feeling.
Eighty-eight percent of teens that use social media reports witnessing others being mean or cruel on social networking sites.
There are a lot of anti-bullying efforts speaking to bullies and victims, but, one key audience is rarely targeted: those who are witnesses.
Ad Council’s “I Am A Witness” campaign activates the “silent majority” of teens who witness it each day, transforming them from passive bystanders into a united, empowered, and active collective that will speak up against bullying.
The target audience was teens, ages 11-17—a difficult audience to reach through traditional media efforts—with the goal of getting them to understand and use a new campaign emoji to shut down instances of bullying.
8. Nivea – Mom’s Touch
Skincare brand Nivea India touched our hearts with its recent social initiative #MomsTouch which brought forth stories of extraordinary mothers.
Nivea partnered with Aseema Charitable Trust, an organization dedicated to providing quality education to children from marginalized communities.
The social media-driven campaign portrayed the story of some extraordinary mothers who want the best future for their children, despite having faced adversities all throughout their own lives.
Viewers could join in the noble cause either by sharing the video on their social networks or by direct donations to the charitable trust. Each time one shared the film, Nivea contributed 100 grams of rice.
9. Lenovo-Yuwa – #PitchToHer
Yuwa, a not-for-profit organization that teaches girls to play football to make their lives better, partnered with Lenovo for #PitchToHer – a social campaign that invited the brightest minds to pitch smart ideas that can impact the lives of these girls through technology. The idea that convinced them won a month-long sponsored internship.
The agency behind the campaign, Experience Commerce introduced the girls to the wonders of technology.
They placed their village Hutup on Wikipedia and Google Street View.
They played songs, learned to use Makey-Makey kits, and created music with them.
They also experimented with lighting up solar jars, GoPro cams, and light painting.
10. Jet Blue – Flying It Forward
The campaign asked consumers to submit where they would go if they had a free flight to spread good.
The best idea then won a free ticket.
Once awarded, the plane ticket was then passed on to the next do-gooder.
