Putting a public face to a long-term partnership, Starbucks Coffee Canada and Canadian non-profit Evergreen have launched the ‘Pledge to do some green’ campaign, an invitation to Canadians to share their good green deeds.
Through national online, cinema and newspaper advertising, Starbucks and Evergreen are asking Canadians to submit their ‘pledge’ to do something good for the environment via the Starbucks Canada Facebook page. In return, those who submit pledges receive a coupon for a free coffee. Creative was handled by BBDO Toronto – with ‘inspiration’ from BBDO NY – and media strategy was handled by MediaCom. Campaign partner Evergreen works to develop ‘dynamic’ outdoor spaces, with the goal of connecting Canadians more closely with the natural environment.
In the less than two weeks the campaign has been live, 20,000 people have already submitted pledges, with 15,000 registering in the first week alone. It has also generated more fans for the brand’s Facebook page, Colette Bennett, marketing manager, Starbucks Coffee Canada, tells MiC. The Starbucks page currently has 153,242 ‘likes.’
‘The ‘Pledge to do some green’ is really about sparking a movement and inspiring others to join in,’ she explains. ‘We look at social media channels such as Facebook as an opportunity to grow our relationships with our customers and partners over the long term, as well as an opportunity to grow and evolve our brand relevancy. It is also an opportunity to have one-on-one real-time conversations with our customers.’
The brands have been working together for seven years on various CSR initiatives, Bennett says, which fall under the global corporate umbrella ‘Starbucks Shared Planet.’ The partnership is a good fit with Shared Planet, Bennett says, because both programs have a mandate to focus on local initiatives. The ‘pledge’ campaign will also have an internal component as well, with 600 Starbucks employees contributing a minimum of 2,000 hours (in total) to assist Evergreen with projects.
The campaign will run until September 2010.
