Amnesty International goes mobile with Bell

A national mobile teaser promo is set to launch tomorrow and it involves rock band U2 and Amnesty International. The promo, a teaser for the global music project called Make Some Noise launching on December 10 (International Human Rights Day), invites mobile users to text in to win tickets to the November 25 U2 concert in Ottawa. Each text (which constitutes one ballot entry) costs $1 - of which 100% of proceeds go to Amnesty. Users can text in as many times as they wish.

The objective, according to Amnesty International Canada's director of research development, Rhonda Douglas is buzz. As part of the promo push, Amnesty hopes to 'collect user data for mobile numbers and emails. We want to push the project out to them. We're trying to learn how OOH and online drive mobile cell usage. Charities haven't used mobile donation much in Canada. We're keen to have that learning.'

By Pia Musngi
October 20, 2005

A national mobile teaser promo is set to launch tomorrow and it involves rock band U2 and Amnesty International. The promo, a teaser for the global music project called Make Some Noise launching on December 10 (International Human Rights Day), invites mobile users to text in to win tickets to the November 25 U2 concert in Ottawa. Each text (which constitutes one ballot entry) costs $1 – of which 100% of proceeds go to Amnesty. Users can text in as many times as they wish.

The objective, according to Amnesty International Canada’s director of research development, Rhonda Douglas is buzz. As part of the promo push, Amnesty hopes to ‘collect user data for mobile numbers and emails. We want to push the project out to them. We’re trying to learn how OOH and online drive mobile cell usage. Charities haven’t used mobile donation much in Canada. We’re keen to have that learning.’

In an effort to support the human rights organization, OOH giant Clear Channel has donated 65 bus shelters in Ottawa – a $65,000 media buy — to support the campaign.

Online partner Bell Sympatico is set to go live tomorrow with a site providing info on the contest at http://music.sympatico.msn.ca/u2. Print partner Dose will also run full page PSAs in each of their markets. Mobile aggregator Impact Mobile is also a partner and provider of mobile back-end solutions for the campaign.

The U2 promo targets heavy cell phone users in the 16 to 32-age range. All deals were done direct. Creative was done by Ottawa-based agency Friction Design Group.