Once Again uses Facebook tags for donations

The Bengaluru office of Ogilvy & Mather has designed a digital campaign that leverages Facebook for Once Again, a Bengaluru-based NGO.

Once Again, a Bengaluru based NGO that collects second hand goods and sells tfhem to the poor at minimal prices has launched a Facebook campaign titled 'The Tagging Drive'.

As a part of the campaign, the NGO launched a Facebook page and started tagging old pictures of friends. Instead of photographs of people, items such as clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and other reusable goods that could be donated were tagged.

The page also invited people to become Facebook volunteers and spread the word by tagging their friends (www.facebook.com/onceagainbangalore). The activity went viral and created curiosity among people. Till date, the NGO's Facebook page has garnered 1,145 likes and made 250 volunteers.

The campaign began in late November, 2012 and Ogilvy was given a zero budget by the NGO. After the campaign, the NGO began its donation collection drive and installed boxes to collect donated old goods. Several offices collected old goods and asked the NGO to pick them up from their premises.

Though the Facebook campaign played a major part in the donations received, word of mouth also helped increase donations. The NGO organised several donation drives and is now generating 400 per cent more funds by selling these items.

About 8-10 societies, 4 IT parks and five-six offices were covered. Nearly 1,000 people donated goods and the number is expected to reach 5,000 by the end of the year.

Speaking about the idea, Siju R S, associate creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Bengaluru, says, "Our aim was to connect with the youth and that too in an engaging manner, unlike the conventional methods which are boring. So we leveraged the Facebook medium, where people spend a lot of their time. We opted for Facebook instead of Twitter as people spend more time on Facebook and can easily tag pictures."

Once Again was founded in early 2012 by Rajesh Krishnan and Vikram Menon. The NGO does not take money as charity from people but only accepts old goods. The funds generated from selling the goods are used to empower the people of the same community through various sustainable projects. Apart from the second hand products shop, Once Again also runs a creche for children and a vocational training class for women.

Krishnan says, "Once the campaign went viral, people donated in large numbers and it has helped increase our stocks. Our shop that is located in the slums of Banaswadi area of Bengaluru city is full of goods."

Once Again, in association with Ogilvy, has also launched a viral video about the NGO.