Much the way the ColaLife project has worked to piggy-back on Coca-Cola’s formidable distribution networks to get medicine dispersed where it’s most needed, so the Books for Colombia effort aimed to capitalize on the pizza deliveries in Spain to get books to the Colombian needy. Taking place between January 10 and February 10 of this year, the Books for Colombia project was a joint effort between Spanish airline Iberia, social network ideas4all and pizza delivery firm Telepizza. The concept was based on the suggestion of a Telepizza employee who saw the potential of the empty-handed drivers on their way back from delivering pizzas. Aiming to put that potential to work for good, the effort invited delivery customers in Madrid to donate unwanted books for delivery to the needy in Colombia. Telepizza drivers used the empty space in their vehicles to transport the books to the local Telepizza outlet; from there, they were sent via Iberia aircraft to Colombia, where NGO BuenaNota handled distribution in 120 libraries and schools throughout the country, potentially reaching more than 98,000 children and teenagers. The lesson to be learned? Every business-driven trip, whether to or fro, is an opportunity to do something more. How could your brand add a social benefit to the journeys it’s already making? Spotted by: www.airlinetrends.com

28th February 2012