SAN FRANCISCO, CA (BRAIN)—Athletic identification provider Road ID raised more than $19,000 for charities by utilizing social media promotions to highlight two separate initiatives.
In May, Road ID created the Amgen Tour of California Charity Challenge. The game asked participants to guess the winner of each stage of the eight-stage race. Correct predictions earned the participants a chance at winning a $1,000 daily prize. Of that amount, $750 was directed to one of 12 charities that Road ID supports, and $250 was awarded to the winner of the fantasy cycling game. The Charity Challenge was promoted via Twitter, Facebook, a company newsletter and daily TV coverage on the Versus network.
Road ID enhanced the game by giving participants an opportunity to win one of two grand prize packages. Eligible candidates for the grand prizes included daily fantasy game participants and those who made a $2 donation to one of the twelve charities. The power of Internet giving was impressive as $5,882 was collected from $2 donations, with an additional $6,000 donated by Road ID.
The company’s other initiative, a Spring Giveaway, ran from April 23 until May 31 and generated $7,100 for charity. Fans of the company entered the Spring Giveaway in one of four ways: purchasing a Road ID, following the company on Twitter or Facebook, or by making a $2 donation. The company gave away an Apple iPad, HED Cycling wheels and Road ID shopping sprees as prizes.
Raising over $13,000 in two-dollar individual increments was made possible only by Road ID’s robust presence in the social media sphere. “We found that not only do people like to win great prizes but they also respond to a call to give to others,” said PJ Rabice, the company’s marketing director. “Each promotion was designed to be easy to participate and affordable to donate. And by engaging with the fans via social media, where they are spending time, we saw a tremendous amount of participation. We are thrilled with the level of donations and know that the charities will be too.”
The initiatives also had the effect of further boosting the company’s online presence: Road ID enjoyed a 125 percent increase in Facebook followers during the Spring Giveaway, moving from 5,500 to 12,100 followers in just one month. Their Twitter presence also boomed, with a 48 percent increase in followers stemming from over 2,000 tweets and more than 775,000 Twitter impressions about the Giveaway.
The twelve charities that benefitted from the two Road ID initiatives were: Arthritis Foundation, USA Cycling Development Foundation, Levi's Gran Fondo Charities, The Davis Phinney Foundation, YieldToLife.org, ASPCA, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (TNT), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Levi Leipheimer's Gran Fondo Charities, Susan G. Komen (Race for the Cure), National MS Society, Wounded Warrior Project, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG).
The three charities that were most commonly selected as recipients by participants were the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG), Wounded Warrior Project and Susan G. Komen (Race for the Cure).
