What do you do when your mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer? In my case I felt compelled to do something out of the ordinary that would benefit cancer charities and give mum something to smile about.

HARRODS ROCKS
Our Solution: An extraordinary collection of electric guitars, personally customized by the likes of Bono, Jennifer Lopez, Philippe Starck, Diane Von Furstenberg and Ronnie Wood, in partnership with the National Museum of Ireland, the RockCouture^® Collection became the centrepiece and inspiration for a major exhibition celebrating the life and times of the electric guitar.

Following critically acclaimed shows in Dublin, Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Harrods of London, 30 of the RockCouture guitars were auctioned to support the construction of a new cancer caring centre and other important charitable causes.

Thanks to the incredible support we received in developing this project we were motivated to launch RockCouture Productions, to do more of the same.

SOCIAL MARKETING
The idea was simple: Capitalising on our partners’ rich collective experience, this cooperative venture will tackle significant social issues relating to healthcare, education and cultural exchange; motivated by a common desire to improve the lives of those most in need.

By creating exciting, scalable and sustainable solutions, such as United World Schools and Play For Life, we aim to provide ongoing opportunities for brands to ally their digital, mobile and partnership marketing activities with their desire to be good corporate citizens.

A DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
United World Colleges’ objective was to bring innovative teaching methodology into the poorest and most remote parts of the world, identifying young people with the ability to further their education to the highest level, and to earmark them for scholarships at a United World College.

Our solution: United World Schools. Recognizing that talent resides in every community, this project aims to establish a network of educational assistance, nurturing young leaders and confident role models, and providing unique opportunities for young people in disadvantaged communities to access the wider world and realise their potential.

Over the past three years UWS has helped construct, staff, equip and maintain a ten school pilot programme in remote villages in Cambodia, partnered with schools in the UK; and in so doing has provided education for more than 2,000 students.

MUSIC CHANGES LIVES
Clear Channel Communications is a global media and entertainment company specializing in providing mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services for local communities through outdoor, radio and digital platforms. Clear Channel believe that companies are measured on the basis of the overall value that they contribute to society; and operating companies and their individual units are actively encouraged to get close to the communities they serve.

Alissa Pollack, Executive VP of Integrated Music Marketing for Clear Channel Radio, sits on the board of a number of health and education related charities in the USA. One, which is particularly close to her heart, is City of Hope, a pioneering cancer treatment and research organisation.

Drawing upon the talent, resources and generosity of performing artists and media personalities, Alissa’s objective was to establish a flexible and user friendly promotional platform, that will allow her to run targeted fund raising and awareness campaigns in support of City of Hope and other nonprofit partners

Our solution: Play For Life, aims to harness the power of music and media to improve education resources and enhance the health and well-being of young people most in need.

For children and teens battling cancer, music therapy provides an outlet for communicating difficult emotions and coping with the rigors of treatment. Following a $4.5 million Clear Channel Radio media campaign, involving Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and more than 30 other leading artists and bands, according to Steven Martin – City of Hope’s Associate Vice President Marketing – “The Play For Life campaign enabled us to reach a new generation of prospective supporters, and with the funds raised, our music therapy program will be able to touch the lives of more young people undergoing cancer treatment than ever before".

WHERE NEXT?
My mother was an incredibly brave and inspirational lady who outlived her doctors predictions by a good 5 years. Before she passed, mum told me one of the most heartbreaking aspects of living with cancer was the number of teens and young adults she came into contact with during chemotherapy sessions, and she was delighted to see how Play For Life was aiming to make a difference with City of Hope in America. Our ambition moving forward is to build on this experience by raising funds to form a coalition of leading experts and practitioners willing to pool knowledge and explore new ways of supporting young people in their fight against this dreadful disease.

Play For Life is a collaborative work in progress and we’re always open to fresh ideas and new challenges. So, if you would like to talk about getting involved with one of our programmes, please feel free to contact me ian@rockcouture.tv; we’d love to hear from you.

Ian Spero
Founder
Rock Couture Productions & Play For Life

If you would like to read the extended version of this article written for the Bupa website click here