Friends for Change

Challenge

Research showed that Disney’s core audience – children aged between 5-15 – cared about environmental issues and wanted to make a difference but did not know where to start or how their individual actions could add up to something significant. At the same time, Disney lacked a unified platform in which it could engage its audiences in meaningful environmental and social action, something that Disney’s various business segments were interested in pursuing. Our challenge was to develop a high-impact initiative that would strengthen Disney’s reputation and connection to kids and families while simultaneously inspiring kids to make small contributions in their homes or local communities that could collectively make a global impact.

Solution

I led the cross-company development and launch of Friends for Change, a multi-year global cause marketing initiative that gave kids the tools, community, and motivation to take real environmental action. Working in partnership with various environmental organizations and in close collaboration with Disney Channel, Radio Disney, ABC, Corporate Brand Marketing, and Disney Interactive, I helped build a program that met kids where they were across every Disney platform. The initiative included original PSAs and hit songs by Disney’s biggest stars, an interactive website where kids could pledge to change their behavior and vote to direct Disney’s charitable donations to their chosen causes, and a grantmaking program that funded local environmental projects submitted by kids themselves. Over time, the program expanded beyond environmental issues to encompass broader social and community challenges, and ultimately inspired a Disney Channel series, Friends for Change Games.

Impact

In its first six months, Friends for Change generated over three million pledges from kids committing to reduce their environmental impact, far exceeding the program’s initial goals. Across its multi-year run, the initiative directed over $2 million in charitable donations to environmental organizations chosen by the kids themselves, and supported young people in bringing their own community solutions to life through the grant program. Friends for Change demonstrated that Disney’s media platforms could be used not just to entertain but also to mobilize a generation in making a meaningful difference both locally and globally.