Oxfam Canada has partnered with six Canadian celebrities to promote its 2014 online alternative gift catalog: Oxfam Unwrapped.
The Unwrapped catalog includes “life-changing” gifts such as seeds, bicycles, goats and safe water. An item is selected for a friend, family member or colleague, a card is sent to them, and the gift goes to people in developing countries.
Two years ago, Oxfam Canada partnered with high-profile Canadians including Jack Layton and Lainey Gossip’s Elaine Lui, and decided to revisit celebrity partnerships this year.
“Having a celebrity partnership is always a great idea because it gives you visibility outside your normal scope,” said Ryan Hollinrake, fund development officer, community development and strategic partnerships at Oxfam Canada. “Oxfam donors tend to be a little older… so we wanted to reach into different demographics. We thought a good way of doing that was to pick a good cross-section of celebrities with different age ranges, vocations and backgrounds.”
This year, the celeb roster includes actress Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), singer/songwriter Ron Sexsmith, CBC’s Laurie Brown, comedian and Cash Cab host Adam Growe, actress Lisa Ray, and actress Krystin Pellerin (Republic of Doyle).
The celebrities have created wish lists and are asking people to purchase items on the list.
The celebrities will promote the campaign through their social media channels, and some may serve as media spokespeople. “We want them to promote Oxfam Canada and the work that we do as a whole, as well as [raise funds] through Oxfam Unwrapped,” said Hollinrake.
Oxfam Canada will promote the program through online advertising and its own social media channels.
