CHIME FOR CHANGE SET TO REACH MILLIONS MORE WORLDWIDE AS IT HARNESSES THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY AND PARTNERSHIPS IN SUPPORT OF GIRLS’ AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
CHIME FOR CHANGE launches app featuring the voice of co-founder Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, available free at the App Store
New collaboration with Kellogg’s Special K Europe set to reach 25 million households and inspire 250,000 voices to join the movement
CHIME FOR CHANGE calls on the global community to lend their voices and #CHIMEIN in support of the girls and women who inspire them
7th March 2014, Paris, France – On the eve of International Women’s Day, CHIME FOR CHANGE, the global campaign for girls’ and women’s empowerment founded by Gucci, has launched important new strategic initiatives to further raise funds and awareness for issues affecting girls and women worldwide.
Since its launch at the TED2013 conference in February 2013, CHIME FOR CHANGE has focused on the power of technology to create change, including through its strategic partnership with crowd-funding platform, Catapult, which serves as the campaign’s donation platform. Other strategic partnerships and an emphasis on social media activation have helped spread the message of girls’ and women’s empowerment to a global audience. To date, the campaign has raised more than $4.75 million, helping to fund more than 280 projects in 81 countries across 87 non-profit campaigns.
Building on this technology focus, today, CHIME FOR CHANGE celebrates the launch of its new app, which will help the campaign continue to unite, convene and strengthen the voices calling for change for girls and women. The app will enable supporters to lend their voices by issuing #CHIMEIN messages, and to further create change by funding projects supporting girls and women through Education, Health, and Justice. Available in four languages (English, Italian, French and Spanish) and free from the App Store, the app was inspired by #CHIMEHACK, a 3- day hackathon hosted at Twitter’s San Francisco HQ in December 2013, which convened the brightest minds and visionary leaders in technology to create innovative mobile app solutions to support girls and women. The CHIME app is available free from the App Store at: ichime.in/chimeapp.
In addition to launching the app, CHIME FOR CHANGE appealed to supporters around the world to mark International Women’s Day by tweeting their support for the women and girls who inspire them, using #CHIMEIN.
Gucci Creative Director and CHIME FOR CHANGE co-founder Frida Giannini, said: “Since launching CHIME FOR CHANGE last year, we have raised significant funds and awareness for girls and women around the world, but our work has only just begun. We believe in the power of technology and partnerships to drive change, as we are all stronger together. With the launch of this app, we are calling on our community to lend their voices – together, we can call for change in the loudest voice possible.”
CHIME FOR CHANGE co-founder Beyoncé Knowles-Carter created a signature bell sound for the new app, lending her vocals from “Pretty Hurts.” By sharing her voice, she is calling on others around the world to #CHIMEIN: “I am honored to be a part of the continuing work of CHIME FOR CHANGE on behalf of women and girls around the world, and especially at this time to mark International Women’s Day.”
CHIME FOR CHANGE also announced a strategic collaboration with Kellogg’s Special K Europe. Special K has committed to reaching more than 25 million households across Europe with the message of CHIME FOR CHANGE. The brand aims to digitally activate and engage 250,000 of their community members, and through generous financial support, will fund projects helping more than 25,000 women.
Salma Hayek Pinault, co-founder of CHIME FOR CHANGE, said “Today marks a significant moment for CHIME FOR CHANGE as we continue to drive awareness of girls’ and women’s empowerment among millions of households across the world through a collaborative partnership with Kellogg’s Special K. CHIME is giving girls and women everywhere a platform to unite, and through strategic collaborations, their voices are getting louder and our fight against inequality and injustice even stronger.”
Commenting on the partnership, Peter Soer, VP Marketing at Kellogg Europe and a new member of the CHIME FOR CHANGE Advisory Board, said: “We are thrilled to join so many other voices helping girls and women to shine and be the best they can be, which is what Kellogg’s Special K is all about. Large brands like ours can use our scale and reach to help make a positive impact on the world by driving awareness, inspiring action and ultimately helping to make change happen.”
Kellogg’s Special K becomes the latest strategic partner for CHIME FOR CHANGE, joining Twitter, another recent strategic partner, the Kering Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Facebook, Hearst Magazines, Catapult, P&G Prestige and Twitter to support the empowerment of girls and women around the world. Through a worldwide Mother’s Day promotion at 13,000 points of sale, Gucci Fragrances is committing a minimum $1 million USD to support projects for girls and women around the world. The support of these partners, and today’s announcement from Special K, demonstrate an ongoing commitment by CHIME FOR CHANGE to growing a coalition of likeminded brands, organizations and individuals who are concerned about Education, Health and Justice for girls and women everywhere.
