OBJECTIVE

The Coca-Cola Foundation wanted to create a regional CSR campaign as part of their Community initiatives.

For most in the Middle East, taking social initiatives is driven by religious beliefs, guilt or a surge of emotion.

CHALLENGE

What’s missing is a social consciousness from within. So we targeted the youth. They were most receptive to change perceptions, from this generation to the next.

IDEA

We created Ripples of Happiness.

5 Countries. 10 Universities. 6 weeks.

10,000 students registered through our questionnaire.

We recruited the most passionate 200.

Students identified community problems and people from the community voted for which problem teams would tackle.

Teams were empowered by iPad apps. In their journey, they streamed live feeds, videos, photos and their learnings to a Microsite and Facebook Pages.

To gather the community’s votes and win a competition to receive aid from the Coca-Cola Company to be implemented on a larger scale to touch even more lives.

RESULTS

The most moving projects were showcased as Pan-Arab TV Commercials with real students.

The initiative became contagious through hundreds of websites & blogs in the region.

PR through mainstream press, took the campaign to every home in the region.

The campaign became endorsed by influential youth figures such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Ahmad Shugairi, a youth socio-religious commentator, Sheikha Hessa, Princess of Bahrain.

200 students spread the initiative by generating content, conversations, engaging 120,000 other students.

Who would spread the Ripples for generations to come.

We created Ripples of Happiness.

5 Countries. 10 Universities. 6 weeks.

10,000 students registered through our questionnaire.

We recruited the most passionate 200.

Trained NGO volunteers from Injaz Al-Arab were brought in to instill the true values of social work.

Once students identified community problems, people from the community voted for which problem each team would tackle.

Teams were empowered by iPad apps. As they worked towards their goal, they streamed live feeds, videos, photos and their learnings to a Microsite and Facebook Pages.

Because we created a competition and wanted to leverage the social media platform to spread the Ripples beyond the students, to the entire university, friends and the larger community to gather their votes and win this competition.

At the end of six weeks, winning projects received aid from the Coca-Cola Company to be implemented on a larger scale to touch even more lives.

The most moving projects generated PR as we showcased them as Pan-Arab TV Commercials with the real students.

The initiative gained PR on social media through hundreds of websites & blogs in the region at 0 media cost.

Mainstream press generated PR and took the campaign to every home.

The campaign received PR from youth figures such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Ahmad Shugairi, a leading socio-religious commentator, Sheikha Hessa, the Princess of Bahrain.

200 students didn’t just implement projects but spread the initiative by generating PR and engaging 120,000 other students directly.

Over 30 Universities have invited Ripples of Happiness for 2013.

The most valuable result of Ripples of Happiness however, is the smiles it created and the shift in perception it brought among an entire generation.

Who would spread the Ripples for generations to come.