The Joy in Childhood Foundation is powered by Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins. Its mission is to send childhood cancer patients to special camps that give them the chance to experience the simple joys of life. To raise awareness and funds for this cause, Dunkin' partnered with the navigation app Waze. Waze users could download the Going Gold voice pack which would allow their navigation to be guided by the voice of a childhood cancer patient. The app also used gold pins to mark nearby Dunkin' locations.
Objective and Context:
The goal of the campaign was for Dunkin' and the Joy in Childhood Foundation to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to raise money for the Foundation. This would allow more patients to experience the simple joys of being a kid. The funds would send the kids to 10 special camps around the country that specialize in bringing joy to young patients.
Because the funding for pediatric cancer is significantly smaller than it is for adult cancers and the fatality rate for kids with this illness is extremely high, it was important for Dunkin' to stand up for these children and their families.
The Joy in Childhood Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. It's supported by Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins to bring together a wide range of stakeholders including franchisees, crew members, employees, partners, and guests to join the cause. Some partners include food banks, children's hospitals, and nonprofit organizations committed to serving kids when they need it most. The Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted $25 million to these organizations since its inception in 2006, including more than $5 million in 2019 alone.
Target Audience:
The Dunkin' Going Gold campaign on Waze targeted tech-savvy drivers across the U.S. who value convenience and time.
Creative Strategy:
By downloading the special Going Gold voice pack, users could receive navigation guidance provided by children affected by cancer. Waze users could also see the smiling faces of the kids in the app. The Waze map also alerted users where to find Dunkin' stores. These locations were marked by gold pins, as the color gold has signified support for childhood cancer for more than 20 years.
Overall Campaign Execution:
Waze partnered with Dunkin to turn the Waze map gold and offer Waze users the chance to download a special Going Gold voice pack with navigation guidance recorded by children afflicted by cancer. For every download of the voice pack in September (childhood cancer awareness month), Dunkin donated to the Joy in Childhood Foundation, up to $100,000.
Mobile Execution:
The voice pack and custom pins on the map leveraged the native app capabilities of the Waze platform to drive awareness of the cause.
The campaign raised over $100,000 for the Joy in Childhood Foundation as well as significant awareness.
In terms of results, the campaign delivered the following impact:
