4th Facebook Newsletter - 27/6/08

June 27, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment

27/6/08 - 4th Newsletter

Simon Berry sent a message to the members of Let’s talk to Coca Cola about saving the World’s children.

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Subject: Coca-Cola Group Update – 27/6/08

Dear Group Member

We are now nearly 2,500! Please consider forwarding this email to all your friends and ask them to join here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18947780476.
Numbers are everything! Before this group formed we made no progress at
all. The list below shows what we have achieved in just 6 weeks. Quite
remarkable.

We now have Coca-Cola’s attention. We are now trying to engage with an
international NGO. The full story of the campaign is here: http://beamends.typepad.com/simons_blog/

5,500 children under 5 die every day in Africa. This initiative could
save thousands and thousands of children’s lives through collaboration
between the private, NGO and Government sectors. And now we are talking.

Our progress to date:
* 18/5/08 facebook group formed
* 21/5/08 interviewed by Eddie Mair for the iPM Programme
* 23/5/08 written statement received from Coca-Cola - ‘willing to talk’
* 24/5/08 Featured on iPM (Radio 4)
* 24/5/08 Eve Graham (ex lead singer - The New Seekers) sang supporting lyrics to “I’d like to teach the world to sing”
* 1/6/08 Campaign nominated for the New Media Awards
* 5/6/08 Telephone conference with Coca Cola’s Global Head of Stakeholder Relations and UK counterpart
* 16/6/08 Face to face meeting with Coca-Cola in Brussels
* 23/6/08 Contact made with WaterAid
* 27/6/08 Contact made with Oxfam
* Membership includes a ‘frontline’ Rehydration Project in India
* Members of the group have posted: 7 videos; 35 links; 9 photos
* There have been 7 discussion threads started and 85 Wall Posts

Onwards and upwards

Simon
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Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Newsletters
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Notes of the first face to face with Salvatore Gabola

June 16, 2008 by Simon Berry · 7 Comments

Here is a summary of the face to face
meeting with Salvatore Gabola at Coca Cola’s European HQ in Brussels from 12-14:30 on 16/6/08

1 The unique and interesting elements of this campaign were
highlighted again:

it’s not about traditional Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) but about the Commercial Sector working with other
sectors (Gov and NGOs), with each working to its strengths, to achieve
something that neither could achieve by themselves
Coca Cola support many projects in Africa aimed at getting community access to
fresh water and sanitation but they are traditional CSR-type projects, so this
idea is different.
the fact that it is a positive campaign
based on practical action

There have been other attempts by Coca
Cola at distribution of non-Coca Cola products in the past but these have not
been successful for different reasons. The distribution of medication for
HIV/AIDS did not work because the medicines need special storage conditions,
needed to arrive in a predictable manner, needed specialist medical personnel
to prescribe them etc etc. The distribution of condoms did not have the same
problems but suffered from others, including the usual issues that arise around
the subject of birth control. The benefits of connecting to recycling
initiatives were also not evident, in countries mostly using refillable bottles
and where the rare cans are already picked up as valuable recyclables.

However, this idea, on the face of it,
would appear to be relatively free of controversy. >>more

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Meetings
Tagged:

The first 26 days - progress to date

June 13, 2008 by Simon Berry · Leave a Comment

This photo was taken by Teseum - the original is here

I thought an update on the progress of the Coca Cola campaign would be helpful.

May 1988 - May 2008 (20 years = 7305 days)

No progress at all!

Since the facebook group was formed on 18/5/08 (26 days)

18/5/08 facebook group formed
21/5/08 interviewed by Eddie Mair for the iPM Programme
23/5/08 Written statement received from Coca Cola - ‘willing to talk’
24/5/08 Featured on iPM (Radio 4)
24/5/08 Eve Graham (ex lead singer - The New Seekers) sang supporting lyrics to ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’
1/6/08 Campaign nominated for the New Media Awards
5/6/08 Telephone conference with Coca Cola’s Global Head of Stakeholder Relations and UK conterpart
Face to face meeting with Coca Cola in Brussels planned for 16/6/08
Facebook group has grown from 0 to 2,115 in 26 days
Membership includes a ‘frontline’ Rehydration Project in India
Members of the group have posted: 7 videos; 34 links; 9 photos
There have been 7 discussion threads started and 83 Wall Posts

5,500 children die every day in Africa before the age of 5. This
initiative could save thousands and thousands of children’s lives
through collaboration between the private and NGO sector. And now we
are talking.

Further information:
All of the Coca Cola campaign posts

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign
Tagged:

Telephone conference with Coca Cola - 5/6/08

June 5, 2008 by Simon Berry · 8 Comments

Here is a summary of the telephone conference with Coca Cola.

Representatives from Coca Cola:
Euan Wilmshurst
Manager, Stakeholder Engagement
Coca-Cola Global Stakeholder Team

Salvatore Gabola
Global Director Stakeholder Relations

Representative from this group:
Simon Berry

Introductions (see annex 1)

I started by outlining the idea and how it had progressed to become a group of 1800 people. This is all here.

I made the point that we were not just interested in the distribution of the salts but also in the awareness raising and education process as well.

What we have achieved was described as ‘remarkable’ but there seemed to be a genuine delight that the campaign was a positive one, which Coca Cola could potentially engage with. I pointed out that this group offers a valuable middle ground - bridging the usual divide between ‘anti-’campaigners and the Coca Cola ‘publicity machine’. In this middle ground, the majority would be able to gather around a simple positive action and in the process learn from, and about, each other. I think this is accepted by Coca Cola. >>more

Filed under: Coca Cola Campaign, Meetings
Tagged:

Coca Cola Campaign nominated for New Media Awards

June 2, 2008 by Simon Berry · 1 Comment

Just a quick note to thank Paul Webster for nominating the Coca Cola Campaign for this year’s New Media Awards and for others who have dived in and left supporting comments (and the all important rating!). I will keep a role of honour below! Please comment and rate the nomination if you can.