Thursday, January 31, 2008

Social Marketing: Paint Your Message On The Ramallah Wall

Marketing is not all about selling. Marketing is also about communicating clearly and consistently what your product, service or you, are all about. This may and should include showing what you stand for, beyond your specific industry interests, as well as sharing your vision as an active participant in the greater game of life. And indeed, as we move forward in a society that is increasingly dependent on trust and reputation, it may be that values and ethics you hold will come to be valued more than niche know-how and tech expertise.

In the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Israel has built over 600 kilometers of fence, of which, about 150 are made up of a huge concrete wall. Now, you can paint your own personal public message on the wall, while doing some tangible good to the locals.

Thanks to a new Dutch-Palestinian project called SendMessage, by donating €30, you can have the local sendmessage team spray paint the wall with your own custom message.

Within a few days you also receive three high resolution digital photos that document the action, the overall view and the final results.

Just like the Berlin wall, the West Bank wall has been built to to keep people apart, but now you can also use it to do some social marketing and to actually bring people together! Your message reminds Palestinians trapped inside the Wall they have not been forgotten.

Who is Behind This

This original idea was born at a icco.nl organized workshop in Ramallah, Palestine, where Dutch advertising pro's worked with creative, young Palestinians. See www.palodutch.nl to find out more.

The initiative, now accessible at sendamessage.nl, is supported by www.icco.nl, www.feelslikefriday.com and by www.palodutch.nl. According to sendmessage.nl an independent board oversees and checks the activities of this registered charity Foundation, from Amsterdam, Holland. All financial matters are checked by an independent, registered financial controller and there is a public list of board members.

Where Does Your Money Go?

While a small part of your money stays in Holland, to cover the (minimal) costs of setting up and running 'Sendamessage', the larger part of it, it is sent to the Palestinian NGOs doing social work locally. They fund small social, cultural and educational projects with the money you and I send in.

More about this Wall

"Imagine you are Palestinian. Your family for generations has owned a hotel. Suddenly the hotel is on the other side of the Wall. So, in Israel. You have no permit to visit Israel. You can't work in your own hotel anymore. The Wall kills business.

Your husband (Palestinian) always had a permit to work in East Jerusalem. He lived with you and the kids, on the West bank, next door. The Wall now is in between. The husband is forced to live and stay in East Jerusalem. Or else: no job. The Wall tears families apart.

Your family has 500 olive trees, which is enough to live from. But now the olive trees are behind the Wall. The only person allowed to cross the checkpoint and pick the olives is the 80 year old grandmother, since she is the official owner. The Wall ruins farmers.

Everyday stories in Palestine.

Your text on the Wall reminds Palestinians they have not been forgotten. It helps them keeping hope alive. That's the message you are sending to them, whatever the words are."