This is a really refreshing campaign to see right in the heart of all the Christmas shopping chaos.
Smart USA have decided to create a new campaign ‘against dumb’. They’ve created a dumb confessional on Facebook where fans can share with the silliest, most ridiculous unnecessary purchase they’ve ever made. The person who shares the worst case of “mindless consumption” wins a Smart car. There are some good gems in there like a smokeless ashtray, a second toaster (nothing is wrong with the first one), and a racoon-dog statue.
It’s a great use of social media to engage fans and a good PR exercise. It’s named in such a way to give maximum benefit to their brand (you know, being dumb is bad, smart is good). It is also a great campaign to run, especially at this time of year when people tend to be more concerned about ticking a name off a list than getting something of value, or they buy buy buy because something is on sale, but they never end up actually using it.
PS- At Green Thing we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most useless gifts. Feel free to add to it!
Katherine Hui is currently the Social site editor at Green Thing, a web-based public service in London that inspires people to lead greener lives through creative content.
Before this, she worked as the Development Manager at Social Innovation Camp, an organization that encourages people to use web and mobile-based technology to mobilise social change. She oversaw 300 ideas submission and helped build 20 prototypes – five of which have gone on to get further funding or investment.
Katherine’s came over to the UK form Canada in 2007 for an MSc program at the London School of Economics. Before arriving in London, she managed a small environmental start-up in Vancouver called the Canadian Climate Change Alliance.
Katherine is football mad. She is a loyal supporter of Arsenal FC, plays for Islington Borough Ladies FC and coaches for Gunners in Islington in her spare time. Her second favourite hobby is kite surfing and she can sometimes be found chasing the wind.
