Tech start-up or charity? Junk Free June launches

Tech start-up or charity? Junk Free June launches across Australasia

New Zealand charity brand and event ‘Junk Free June’ has kicked off again for its’ second year in New Zealand and has launched for its’ first year in Australia. The brainchild of Matt Clayton, Creative Director of Auckland-based agency Little Giant, the new-look campaign is picking up right where it left off in 2015 after incredible success, praise and a slew of awards. Junk Free June challenges people to give up self-defined ‘junk’ foods and vices during the month of June while fundraising for the Cancer Society in New Zealand and Cancer Council Queensland in Australia.

In 2015 campaign raised over $360,000 for the Cancer Society - an astounding feat considering it represents a staggering 600% ROI on advertising and marketing spend. In 2016, only 3 days into June, the campaign has already raised $250,000 and is trending upward, fast.

Junk Free June’s success is undoubtedly down to the unique strategy behind it. The campaign combines emotional, tangible, physical, health and wellness benefits for participants whilst 100% of the funds raised are donated to charity. Not only can participants directly reduce their risk of cancer and improve their overall health and wellbeing by living a ‘junk free’ lifestyle, each participant unlocks prizes based on the amount of money they fundraise from well-known and popular sponsor brands, further rewarding involvement and incentivising fundraising.

In 2016 Junk Free June’s sponsors include Les Mills, New Balance, Huffer, I Love Ugly, My Food Bag, HP and ASOS but it’s not just the brands that are getting on board; the campaign is also promoted by key celebrities and social influencers including Rachel Hunter, Art Green, Matilda Rice, Amber Peebles, Taika Waititi, Nadia Lim, Sasha Mielczarek, Mat McHugh, Max May, Simone Pretscherer and many, many more. With over 50,000+ followers across Facebook and Instagram, 16,000+ registered participants on the Junk Free June platform, and almost a quarter of a million dollars raised already in 2016, Junk Free June is setting unparalleled benchmarks for awareness, participation, engagement and return on investment for its’ owners, the Cancer Society of New Zealand.

Led by Creative Director Matt Clayton and CEO Mark Hurley, Little Giant is responsible for almost all aspects of the Junk Free June campaign and charity itself, including its’ business model, strategy, brand, technology, marketing, operations and management. Technology is the foundation of Junk Free June. It’s almost solely promoted via digital and social media while all official participation, donation and contribution is facilitated via custom technology designed and developed for the charity by Little Giant.

The agency is also launching a mobile app in 2016 to enable and create a broader ‘Junk Free’ community year-round whilst enabling participants during the June campaign to share their story, access useful content including recipes and connect with their friends, family and other members of the community, taking the model towards the agencies’ ultimate goal of self-sustainability and global scalability.

“Junk Free June is just as much a technology start-up as it is a community, a charity just as much as it is a lifestyle. Our vision is to create a world-leader in charity innovation that doesn’t rely on charitable giving to operate. We believe the model can, in time, fund charities like the Cancer Society or Cancer Council without asking the public to donate a cent. With smart execution of our global vision and our experience-first approach we can turn this brand into something far more than what has ever been achieved in the ‘charity’ space. At the least, the potential is certainly exciting” - Matt Clayton, Creative Director of Little Giant.

Little Giant has taken Junk Free June from nothing to one of New Zealand’s most popular charity brands within a matter of months on shoestring budgets. The 2016 campaign is still in the early stages yet already it’s shown it’s one to keep an eye on and Little Giant has certainly established that they can back up exceptional success with even more success for their clients.

ENDS

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