THE PROJECT
Rotary International is the world’s first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary’s “Kick Polio Out of Africa” program was launched in the months leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa with the kicking of a real soccer ball signed by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a polio survivor.
Traveling through the 22 polio-affected countries across the continent, the ball was signed by numerous African heads of state, health ministers and famous “footballers.”
To extend the campaign outside Africa, and bring attention to the danger of polio and their eradication efforts, Rotary International partnered with Marketing For Wellness to develop an interactive global campaign mirroring the offline campaign.
Traveling through the 22 polio-affected countries across the continent, the ball was signed by numerous African heads of state, health ministers and famous “footballers.”
To extend the campaign outside Africa, and bring attention to the danger of polio and their eradication efforts, Rotary International partnered with Marketing For Wellness to develop an interactive global campaign mirroring the offline campaign.
OBJECTIVES
• Educate the public on the dangers of polio and generate awareness of Rotary International’s “End Polio Now” campaign.
• Create buzz around the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign.
• Enable participation in and engagement with the cause/campaign regardless of geographic location.
• Integrate social media into the microsite, encouraging visitors to invite their friends to sign the ball and spread the word about the campaign.
• Create buzz around the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign.
• Enable participation in and engagement with the cause/campaign regardless of geographic location.
• Integrate social media into the microsite, encouraging visitors to invite their friends to sign the ball and spread the word about the campaign.
IMPLEMENTATION
To generate an effective online presence for the campaign, Marketing For Wellness designed an interactive microsite, where visitors are able to show their support by signing the virtual soccer ball. Website design and development, completed within merely two weeks, included:
• 3D interactive soccer ball featuring signatures and comments of the signatories of the physical ball.
• “Sign It” form, which enables site visitors to ”sign” the ball in a self-selected font and view their signatures
and comments.
• Signatures flat view, which displays each of the signatures, comments, and signatories’ locations.
• Language selection tool which enables visitors to view the site in 6 different languages to encourage global participation.
• Integration of sharing functionality – Facebook, Twitter, email.
• Design of virtual gifts to be sold and/or distributed to supporters on Facebook.
• “Sign the Ball” banner distributed to partnering sites to garner traffic to the microsite.
• 3D interactive soccer ball featuring signatures and comments of the signatories of the physical ball.
• “Sign It” form, which enables site visitors to ”sign” the ball in a self-selected font and view their signatures
and comments.
• Signatures flat view, which displays each of the signatures, comments, and signatories’ locations.
• Language selection tool which enables visitors to view the site in 6 different languages to encourage global participation.
• Integration of sharing functionality – Facebook, Twitter, email.
• Design of virtual gifts to be sold and/or distributed to supporters on Facebook.
• “Sign the Ball” banner distributed to partnering sites to garner traffic to the microsite.
RESULTS
The microsite gathered thousands of signatures in a matter of days.
• The online component of the campaign promoted further collaboration between Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in support of the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign.
• The comments generated and country ranking feature enabled Rotary International to create buzz around the campaign on social networks.
• The application generated media attention as it was mentioned by various bloggers, featured in the Chicago Sun-Times and highlighted at the South African consulate event for the FIFA World Cup.
• The online component of the campaign promoted further collaboration between Rotary International and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in support of the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign.
• The comments generated and country ranking feature enabled Rotary International to create buzz around the campaign on social networks.
• The application generated media attention as it was mentioned by various bloggers, featured in the Chicago Sun-Times and highlighted at the South African consulate event for the FIFA World Cup.
