With the Fourth of July right around the corner, companies and causes are banding together to celebrate freedom, independence, sacrifice….and doing good. Here are two unique campaigns that are lighting up the sky.
ANHEUSER-BUSCH’S BLIPPING THE BOWTIE SUPPORTS FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION
This summer, as Budweiser donates up to $1.5 million to the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the families of soldiers that have been injured or killed in combat, they’ll be asking customers to help choose which U.S. states should receive a portion of the proceeds.
It’s the first time Anheuser-Busch has used augmented reality in a cause marketing promotion.
After consumers download the app, they open it and aim the smartphone screen at the Budweiser bowtie logo found on all Budweiser packaging, including the new “red, white and blue” packaging now in stores. This then triggers the interactive mobile experience. They can pick a U.S. state to help determine where a portion of the philanthropic support could be directed as they learn more about the Folds of Honor Foundation .The 10 states with the most votes will receive a total of $100,000 of dedicated scholarship funds in 2014.
GERMAN CAMPAIGN FREES WOMEN WORLDWIDE FROM FORCED MARRIAGES
This campaign happened in Germany but I bet you’ll see it in the United States soon. Why? Because it’s all about the ideal we celebrate on Independence Day: Freedom.
In one German city, lovers are known to add a padlock to a fence as a sign of their bond with one another. To highlight the plight of women who are unwillingly locked in marriage, a German company added 3,500 combination locks. Each lock had a QR Code which when scanned took people to a mobile site where they could donate and get the code to free a woman.
Almost all locks were opened within three days and donations for the UN trust fund to end violence against women increased by 279%. The total social media release of the campaign was 5.3 million.
I could see something like this taking off in the United States. The genius of the promotion is in how the mass of locks on the fence capture the attention of passersby. I saw something like this over Memorial Day on the Boston Common. The Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund had assembled 30,000 flags – one for each Massachusetts soldier lost in combat since the Civil War.
What if this parade of flags happened over the Fourth of July, but incorporated the interactivity of the German campaign. Each flag could have a QR Code that passersby could scan to see who it was for and donate to help his or her family.
If the flag was for someone that died in a war before World War II, donations could be directed to upkeep of a graveyard, memorial or to a historical society in the town the soldier was from. The Fourth of July is a great holiday for cause marketing. Everyone celebrates it and patriotism can bring out the best in people. Independence is a good thing.
