In celebration of the launch on Facebook of the ILoveYou page,
and in memory of my brother whose life ended too early 10 years ago today:
#ILoveYou
Target launched today the latest example of a philanthropic campaign in which consumers can interact online with a brand. Target’s to-be-crowdsourced giving contest, titled Super Love Sender, in celebration of Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl, is built around Facebook’s platform.
How it works: Through Target’s Facebook page, you can create and send customized Valentine’s Day, football-inspired video cards. Every time a video card is sent, the charity of your choosing (from a group of five organizations pre-selected by Target) receives a vote. The percentage of votes will correlate with the amount of funds allocated to each organization.
Following the campaign’s close on February 14, $1 million will be donated to the five non-profit organizations, which include The Salvation Army and United Way, in support of their education programs.
Target’s e-card campaign is the company’s second cause-marketing initiative to be conducted online during the past 12 months. The campaign, plus Target’s May 2009 $3-million Bullseye campaign, and Chase’s $5-million December Community Giving and Pepsi’s in-progress $20-million Refresh campaigns, are seeding the contest playing field. Online charitable-giving contests will be an interesting game to watch in the coming months as other teams enter the arena to compete for votes and, hopefully, a lineup of new, enthusiastic brand ambassadors.