Case Study 7
The Earth Love Foundation Launch and Strategy Project
Launch and day to day management of a climate change foundation founded by the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum
Client
The Earth LOVE Foundation
The Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum launched the Earth LOVE Foundation (ELF) at Davos in 2007 in order to harness the power of brands to promote the transition to a low carbon economy.
Mandate
Initially Marmanie represented a family office’s interests in the project, but at launch the founding members of ELF asked Marmanie to take on the role of Foundation Manager which included the day-to-day running of the Foundation and the creation of a 3 year strategy aimed at enabling the ELF to fulfil its goal of reallocating 1% of the global advertising spend to educating consumers on green issues and solutions.
Methodology
Marmanie worked with the YGLs to set the strategic initiatives, including the identification of annual projects, fundraising, and an engagement strategy that involved top global brands and World Economic Forum members. The first project for the Foundation was the distribution of the LOVE book, a beautiful “brand manifesto” created by the YGL’s and sent to the top 7,500 leaders of business, government and the creative industries globally as a personal invitation to join the fight against climate change. Critical to the success of this campaign, was the creation by Marmanie of a bespoke database of the most influencial leaders in the world as determined by the YGL’s in each country.
Outcome
By leveraging the Young Global Leader and World Economic Forum member base, Marmanie was able to assist the Foundation in making a global impact with a very small operating budget, co-ordinate the distribution of the LOVE book (2007) and launch a global research initiative focused on understanding “green” purchasing behaviour across 12 countries and 3 demographics at Davos in 2008. A campaign to raise $1m was launched and 10 global partners were identified and engaged for financial, in-kind and thought leadership contributions.
Value Added
As Foundation Manager, Marmanie was able to galvanize the talent and resources of the YGLs to take ELF from a vision to a fully functioning foundation and brand leader. By linking the network of YGLs and the recipients of the book to a common cause, Marmanie was able to assist ELF in its efforts to identify and champion individuals, companies, and governments who seek differentiation through their climate care programs and use the power of their leadership as a lever for competitive advantage to drive demand for low carbon products and services.