Project Good
August 1st, 2007Ebay, “the world’s online marketplace,” is launching a new sort of market: one focused on doing good.
Called Project Good, the site is still very much in beta but the basic idea seems to be an extension of the labeling initiatives that have become increasingly popular. In order to tap into the spending dollars of particular interest groups, products have been labeled with all manner of social agendas. Witness the rise of “organic,” “fair-trade,” and even “endangered species chocolate bars.”
In similar fashion, this new site will allow you to purchase goods that have been verified as “positively impacting the lives of its producers.” Its target market seems to be those who are attracted to the idea of the triple bottom line - recognizing economic, environmental and social profit - and Globalhood certainly considers itself among those ranks.
The idea is fascinating, and I for one will be extremely interested in seeing how this project executes.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:28 am
I agree, this is a great idea. With the right youth-focused marketing approach, it could be contagious.
August 10th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Why do you say youth-focused, Joe? What makes you think that age is a factor in whether or not someone is likely to take social issues into consideration when making purchasing decisions? I’m just curious as to your thoughts about how the socially-conscious consumer base is skewed, demographically.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I would like to suggest that us “oldsters” and baby-boomers are at least as much, if not more socially conscious than the younger generation. Sara Davidson said in her book Leap! that the people she saw at Peace demonstrations and other similar events were mostly gray-haired and over 50! It’s true that “youth” sells and buys lots of good stuff, but I am very interested in these companies that are likely to change the world.