NEWS RELEASE                                                                                

FEBRUARY 2016

In the run-up to Fairtrade Fortnight, integrated creative communications agency Dinosaur helped The Co-operative Food grow Fairtrade stories showcasing the positive effects their commitment to Fairtrade has on communities all over the globe.

The challenge was, that only 28% of consumers believed that the extra money paid for Fairtrade products actually went to the producers. So to help convince sceptics that Fairtrade really was worth paying that extra for, Dinosaur created a social campaign that connected consumers directly with workers and farmers in Fairtrade Co-ops.

Mark Beaumont, Dinosaur Executive Director commented, “We’ve all seen brands present their clichéd pictures of happy people and feel good success stories. But we knew there was room for a better approach. What if we harnessed the power of social networks to put you directly in touch with farmers? No PR, no spin; just the authentic stories of ordinary people you can talk to directly.”

This approach helped spark conversations all over Twitter and Facebook, and helped consumers see first-hand the difference that the Co-op’s support for Fairtrade is making to their everyday lives. Schools, medical facilities, clean drinking water, women’s rights, environmental projects – one Fairtrade co-operative in Kenya even bought an ambulance for their village.

These conversations were then pulled all together onto a sharewall at www.growingstories.coop, where there was even the opportunity to create and share a fun message made out of flowers, chocolate or bananas. Then, for each message that people shared, The Co-operative Food added £1 to a Fairtrade project fund to help raise up to £25,000.

In the space of a few weeks, the campaign has already reached millions. By the end of this month’s Fairtrade fortnight, we’re expecting to reach over 10 million people. You can see the website for yourself at www.growingstories.coop and all over Twitter and Facebook with #growingstories.

Discover more about the Growing Stories social media project

To see more of our work in the FMCG, food, retail, health and wellness sectors, click here for case studies on how we’ve helped The Co-op, Atkins, Midcounties Co-op, Wagamama and many more.

Alternatively, if you’d like to learn more, give us a call on 0161 831 0831 and ask for Nicola or get in touch at hello@dinosaur.co.uk.

Also published on Medium.