J. Walter Thompson has launched a global campaign ‘Donate the Bars’ to promote the usage of the black bars that appear on either side of the vertical videos on YouTube for a good cause. This is done by converting the black bars into ad space for participating organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Bob Woodruff Foundation, Teen Cancer America, We Are Safe, Good Deeds Day, GiveTheKidsArts.org, UICC Global Cancer Control, Joyful Heart Foundation and NO MORE.
The project has tapped several familiar faces such as Matt Santoro, Cody Simpson, Alli Simpson, Monica Church among others. These YouTube stars will create their own videos and upload them through donatethebars.com.
The campaign was launched at the SXSW Interactive 2016, where the attendees were given the opportunity to record their own videos and donate their bars to an NGO.
“We’re excited to launch the global rollout of ‘Donate the Bars’ at SXSW Interactive, which has become the Mecca for digital creativity,” said Matt Eastwood, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson Company.
With collaborative partners Mashable House, GoodAmplified and Studio 71, the ‘Donate the Bars’ activation will harness the subscriber base of some of YouTube’s most popular content creators.
“The project helps charities raise awareness of the social causes they support and we’re proud to have created an opportunity for them to get the attention they deserve. It brings sustainability to the digital space in a really unique and socially conscious way,” concluded Mr Eastwood.
