Telus is inviting Canadians to celebrate their “breast friends” in the latest iteration of its ongoing fundraising partnership with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The new “Go Pink” Facebook initiative aims to raise money for research into a disease that affects more than 23,000 people each year.
Telus will donate $25 from every purchase of a pink BlackBerry Curve smartphone to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – up to a maximum of $250,000 – along with an additional $5 with each purchase of selected accessories.
It is also inviting consumers to visit its Facebook page and create their own Pink Network – an online photo gallery of friends, family and their support network. Telus will also donate $1 to the Foundation for each new photo gallery created (as of press time, more than 10,000 people had created on online gallery).
Web banners and offline marketing (including print and out-of-home) drive to the Facebook page, inviting consumers to join the “Pink Network.” It has also turned its store windows pink and outfitted sales representatives with corresponding attire.
Creative for the campaign was developed by Telus’ longtime agency Taxi, with media support from Cossette Media.
Anne-Marie LaBerge, vice-president of Telus consumer solutions in Toronto, said that cause marketing comprises a large part of the corporate mandate for Telus. In addition to external partnerships such as those with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, it also has internal programs in place that encourage its employees to donate to local charitable causes. In 2010 was named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation in the world by the Association of Fundraising Professionals
By the end of this year, Telus and its current and former employees will have contributed $245 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000.
“Charity is at the heart of what we do and at the heart of our culture,” said LaBerge. “We want to make the future friendly, and doing that is not only about telecommunications. Telecommunications is the how, but the outcome is about a better place to live.
“We believe in using the power of our voice in the market to elevate causes.”
