IDEA FOR RESPONSIBLE SHOPPING GAME

(the title and the program's logo are in the working process)


BACKGROUND INFO:

Consumers, governments and business leaders are finally feeling the pressure to confront and act upon the fact that unbridled production and consumption comes with mounting pollution and at a significant human/animal/earth cost.

Now that carbon footprinting has become a household term in mature consumer societies, expect consumers' desire to find out about the environmental responsibility of a brand to become a given. Questions no one ever asked a few years ago will become an integral part of the purchasing process. How was the product made? By whom? What effects on the environment will it have after purchasing?

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- If you don't stand for a cause, consumers may stop buying your products.

Carol Cone, chairman-CEO of Cone, said 72% of employees wish their bosses would push for social issues to be part of the companys' business plans -- a 38% increase since Cone's last survey in 2004.

That's according to the 2007 Cone Cause Evolution Survey, which finds that fully two-thirds of Americans consider a company's business practices when deciding what to buy. It also found that 87% of U.S. consumers would switch from one brand to another if the other brand was associated with a good cause, up 31% since 1993. According to Cone, 92% of consumers value companies that promote social issues, and 83% say companies have a responsibility to help support them.

"[Consumers] want to be affiliated with a company that is good," said Carol Cone, chairman-CEO of Cone, a Boston-based strategy and communications agency that specializes in cause marketing. "If consumers see companies behave badly, consumers can move to a company that is a neutral corporate citizen or a proactive corporate citizen."

No matter what cause a company stands behind, Ms. Cone maintains it's one thing that will never go out of style with consumers. "Good is the new black today," she said.

THE GAME IDEA:

"SPEND-IT-RIGHT" TV Shopping Game's main objective is:

To educate general consumers about more conscious approach to spending money as well as to promote socially and environmentally conscious brands in an entertaining and playful fashion.

How it works:

Contestants of the game are given considerable amount of cash to spend on consumer goods of their choice in one day.

The point of the game is not to spend all the money, but to spend it right, i.e the amount close to the randomly chosen budget number (similar to a lucky draw). Players have opportunity to earn special bonus points that will help them to win.

The winner gets to keep everything he/she has bought.

With every game round the budget and risks get higher. Altogether there could be 3 rounds in different locations:

1 ROUND: 1000 € cash to spend in big supermarket like Wal-Mart. If you win, you have a choice to withdraw from the game and keep 25% of your shopping. If you lose – you leave the game empty handed.

2 ROUND: 10.000 € cash to spend in a shopping mall. If you win you get to keep 50% of your shopping or keep it all and play on in the final round. The loser of the second round leaves with 25% from his shopping.

3 ROUND: 25.000 € cash to spend in a city. If you win, you get to keep everything you bought during these 3 rounds plus 50% of the loser’s shopping items (products worth 48.500€). The loser keeps the rest 50% (12.500€ worth)

To make the shopping experience more competitive we introduce special bonus points.

Players can earn these points when they choose products from socially / environmentally friendly brands. The more you know about “wholesome” brands, the more advantage you have over your competitor. Each bonus point equals to 100 €. For example:

1. Donating 100€ to a charity of your choice would earn you 2 points (200€)
2. Buying a product that is environmentally friendly – 1 point.
3. Buying from a socially responsible brand – 1 point. (Shopper should be able to provide this information while being filmed during his shopping spree.)
4. Buying for a good cause, i.e. for the benefit of others, like computers for school kids, would also earn you 2 points.
5. etc.
   

Here’s an example of the 1 round game score:

Two contestants are given a special shopping location and 1000 € to spend in the same day.

One contestant spends 750€ and the other one – 500€. The winning budget number for this round is 600 (€). The second player’s budget is closer to 600, so he/she wins.

Players will have to earn bonus points to help themselves reaching their best score. i.e. If you’re over the budget - you subtract the points, and if you’re under the budget – you add on.

Benefits for all:

• For brands the show could be a good opportunity for self-promotion.
• For the players it’s a shopping goldmine.
• For the viewers it is an entertainment as well as product information.
• For marketers it will provide deeper insights on different consumer demographics and their shopping patterns.
• For the world - another step towards the better future.