All You Need Is Love (and Coffee)
It’s a bit after the fact, but I thought it was such a clever, poignant idea that it was worth mentioning.
On 7th December Starbucks organised a worldwide sing-along, signing people up in every single country around the world to record All You Need Is Love, by The Beatles on camera. The aim was to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa, which still blights millions on the continent. The message is clear - that while it’s easy to get your head in a newspaper and a caramel latte, if we truly want to get out of this mess there can be only one thing that will help us rise above the bilge.
It’s called the Starbucks Love Project and as event marketing goes the result is truly amazing. The videos edited together show how easy it is in the global village to connect with an audience, and who wouldn’t want their brand to be associated with such an important message. So, once you’ve watched the video and been moved to tears (and check out how cool the group from Indonesia is – I’m thinking the guy on the right hand side with the massive hair. Genius.) you can record your own version and upload it to the website http://starbucksloveproject.com/#/addvoice/ along with others from around the globe.
I mean, if a group of people in Afghanistan can record a version, surely you can, right? Starbucks will donate a massive 5 cents for every submission (maximum 1 million submissions), coming to a total of $50,000 to fight AIDS. And this from a company that earned $6.4billion in revenue in 2008.
So, while I’ll still be getting my morning cappuccino from Café Nero, have a look and dare yourself not to get a lump in your throat and then get together with some friends or colleagues and share something. After all, that is the whole point.
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Posted by Pawan on January 30, 2010