I finally got around to taking a look at the contest that Cadbury Dairy Milk is doing to promote its new fair trade certification. It’s an interesting contest. (Obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking about it here.)
In a nutshell, Cadbury is sending four people to Ghana for 10 days (that’s where their fair trade cocoa is from), but to win the prize you have to do more than send them your contact information and register for the draw. Cadbury actually wants you to work for your prize. How? Well, that’s up to you. You decide on a product or a service that you’d be willing to give or do if you won the contest. Cadbury lists it on the contest site and visitors can vote if your offer is a ‘fair trade’ for winning the prize.
It’s a neat idea on a couple of levels, including its play on the words ‘fair’ and ‘trade’, both individually and collectively, but what I like most about it are the community-minded ideas that are coming out of the contest. For example:
- “Parrainner une famille de nouveaux arrivants à leur installation au Québec. Leurs montrer les ressources disponibles et les ouvrir à la culture québécoise!” (Emilie; Translation: Help a family of new immigrants get settled in Quebec by helping them find resources and integrate into Quebec culture.)
- “I’ll take all money I was going to spend on a vacation this December and instead donate it to TransFair Canada.” (Shar K)
- “‘I am a professional bookkeeper, and I will trade my services to a young entrepreneur who is beginning their own business, and needs help to set up a set of books. The youth of today is our future.” (Lynne D)
- “I will trade 35 days to a local soup kitchen feeding the hungry. I am a mother of two so one week a month is all I can do. Starting Aug the 10th until the end of February. And vow to do so 3 days a month for the rest of 2011!” (Ashley M)
Of course, some of the ideas aren’t quite so charitable or altruistic: Dan A is willing to trade his “personal toothbrush,” and Ashley M is offering his 1995 Jaguar XJ6 VDP.
What I find interesting is how most of the ‘trades’ are charitable in nature. It also challenges me, as a potential contestant, to consider the value of the prize and what I can give in exchange. For me, value isn’t just its monetary cost, it also implies its level of importance to me. What would be a fair trade? Is it giving something up? Is it getting involved in a cause to raise awareness or funds? Or is it a simple monetary/product exchange or perhaps a publicity stunt? If it’s giving time to a cause, do I have the time to give? How can I make the time, what would I have to sacrifice and would the opportunity ultimately be worth the sacrifice?
Suddenly a contest from a chocolate bar has got me all philosophical.
Interesting. As someone who is regularly involved in volunteer/charitable work, I’m all in favour of encouraging others to give back to their community, but I wonder if some people really need an all-expenses-paid trip to offer up their time to help others.