Virgin is taking up the cause for everyone who has ever commented ‘I wish there was a love button,’ when Facebook friends post their baby pictures or goofy YouTube videos.

Launched with the help of (the admittedly lovable) Mandy Moore yesterday morning in Toronto, Virgin Mobile unveiled a new petition and campaign dedicated to bringing a love button to Facebook. In the meantime, Virgin is providing their own downloadable Love button in the form of a Facebook app until Facebook responds, says Nathan Rosenberg, CMO, Virgin Mobile Canada. For the first 500,000 items loved on Facebook through the app, Virgin Mobile will make a $.05 donation to the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.

‘We’re serious about seeing this love button come to life. Virgin Mobile is a brand that likes to provide solutions to people and help them out,’ he tells MiC.

The idea came about when discussing possible Valentine’s Day campaigns with Toronto-based Cloud AdAgents, says Rosenberg, and the recognition that there is a lot of ‘desire and pent-up demand for a love button.’ The microsite will be promoted across Virgin’s international homepages in the US, Europe and Australia, Moore’s Twitter feed, and an online buy on sites like PerezHilton.com and the Huffington Post, handled by Wills & Co.

And, true to Virgin Mobile’s style, the brand will take their campaign to the streets in the form of a protest in Toronto on March 28.

Facebook has not responded yet, but after the campaign, Virgin plans to present the petition and all signatures to company heads, says Rosenberg.

‘At some stage of the campaign, a group of us are going to head down to Palo Alto (California), and do a sit-in in the Facebook offices until Mark (Zuckerberg) comes out, and then we can present him with the position,’ he says.