blogging social change

In celebration of Earth Day (April 22), Canada’s Pizza Pizza chain will be trading old cellphones for new slices of pizza. “Pizza Pizza is supporting PITCH-IN CANADA’s National Cell Phone Collection Program by offering a free slice of pizza to anyone handing in their old cell phone at any of its restaurant locations in Ontario and Quebec.”

The cell phone recycling program will be taking place in Pizza Pizza restaurants throughout the month of April, leading up to Earth Day, on April 22.

I’d suggest that China’s had “social marketing and PR” for decades — it was just called “Propaganda.” But nonetheless, here’s an interesting article about China’s adoption of Western PR techniques (and they’ve lumped social marketing and CSR in there as well).

From the article: “”In the US, over the past decade, we have largely eliminated smoking in public places through a large-scale social marketing campaign, which itself is a public relations effort,” says Paluszek. “Another example is drink driving. Clearly these are not controversial issues and they serve a social good.”

The Office of Health Promotion in Nova Scotia has posted an ad for a Social Marketing Manager. You can find full details on the position here. The closing date for applications is March 29.

Apologies for posting a few too many “news of the social change deranged” this month, but this one had to be added. Police in New Zealand have purchased the lifetime naming rights to a racing horse, to be put on the tracks in regular horseraces. His name: “Don’tDrinkAndDrive.”

The cops down under hope to drive home their anti-drunk driving message by decorating the prize horse in blue and yellow (New Zealand police colours), and from the constant repetition of his name, “Don’tDrinkAndDrive” from the announcer.

Last night’s episode of “Robot Chicken,” a Cartoon Network show created by actor Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, featured Tranformer hero (and integral part of my childhood) Optimus Prime dying of prostate cancer. While many of us were grieving for the loss of our childhood, the National Prostate Cancer Coalition issued a press release:

“Being a Tractor Truck, Optimus should have known the importance of check-ups – oil, anti-freeze, spark plugs – the works,” said Coalition CEO Richard N. Atkins. “It comes as such a surprise – my kids loved that guy.” Moral? Autobots, be sure to check your tailpipe. -Ed.

A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health has attributed 22 percent of the overall decline in youth smoking from 2000 to 2002 to the “truth campaign.”

Dr. Matthew Farrelly, one of the authors of the study, said that “previous research showed that truth(R) advertisements appealed to teens and changed their attitudes about smoking. Now we find these positive reactions have resulted in lower smoking rates, the most important outcome for public health.” The truth campaign is a massive anti-smoking campaign targeting young people in the US, funded by a major tobacco settlement which was used to establish the American Legacy Foundation.

Famous Players movie theatre chain dealt a huge blow to social change makers everywhere today when they not only agreed to pull a campaign from Canadians for Equal Marriage promoting same-sex marriage, but resolved to ban all “issue-driven advertising” in their 79-theatres nation-wide.

The ban was prompted by anti-gay-marriage groups who launched a boycott of theatres airing the spots, and several angry e-mails and calls. “We were starting to get e-mails that were threatening to our staff,” said Nuria Bronfman, the Toronto-based vice-president of corporate affairs for Famous Players.

I’m disappointed that Famous Players would cave to interest groups, and even more disappointed that they would do it in the face of threats. I encourage all of you who belive issue-based advertising is important to the promiting social change in Canada to call or write Nuria with the info below. They’ve had enough angry calls from ignorant people, so be nice.

Nuria Bronfman
Vice President, Corporate Affairs Famous Players
Phone: (416) 969-7053
E-mail: nbronfman@famousplayers.ca

Adbusters’ “Blackspot Sneaker” campaign ads have been banned (again), this time by MTV and FOX broadcasters for being “too jumpy.” We’re not exactly sure what that means, but it probably has nothing to do with Blackspot’s anti-corporate shoe fetish, or Adbusters’ history of going after all things corporate. Certainly not.

Social change comes in all sizes. Take this campaign, for example. Massive theatre chain AMC got together with Nokia, Verizon Wireless, and Best Buy to make a hilarious pre-movie “trailer” encouraging audience members to turn off their cellphones.

According to the campaign, silence is golden. Check out their excellent website, with a quirky bonus video (that’s sure to go viral) of a cheerleader being tossed through a basketball hoop.

A new campaign, “Be Seen, Be Screened,” was launched last week featuring a supermodel Heidi Klum asking us to help “make it fashionable to talk about colon cancer.”

The campaign is supported by the EIF’s National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance and sponsored by camara manufacturer Olympus. It was launched at the opening day press conference for Olympus Fashion Week to “educate Americans about the importance of medical screening in combating this country’s second-leading cancer killer.”