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Agencies aren’t really very important to clients at the moment but I suspect that is about to change as brands begin to lose their value shockingly.

Brand owners have abused the trust consumers have given them in the pursuit of more profits for less value.

Nestle put melanin in their powdered milk. It’s a poison. Cadbury knew salmonella was in their chocolate but left it on the shelves for three months.

The Ford Explorer crashed, Firestone made tyres which they knew burst at high speeds. The banks have wilfully cheated us.

Their role models, of course, have been Presidents and Prime Ministers. “I did not have sex with that woman”, said one. “I have proof of weapons of mass destruction,” said another.

This idea from Droga5 won a Grand Clio at the Clio Awards on Thursday (May 14^th) and is one of the more important ideas of the year so far.

Million reconnects brands with ethics and with the needs of real people in real difficulties. It may well provide a template for communications to come, with brands seeking to engage with people on a more human level. Brands that don’t learn to give will become worthless.

Companies are having to change how they do business. And in helping them reorganise themselves as well as in how to relate better to the people they are supposed to serve, agencies may well find their own salvation.

Here’s the story of The Million Project.

The problem:

There are over one million students in the New York City public school system.

37% will never graduate.

The brief:

Inspire kids to engage at school. Make academic achievement desirable, tangible and rewarding.

The insight:

The most powerful way to reach students is to connect with them the same way they connect with each other.

The solution:

The Million project.

Samsung, Verizon and the NYC Department of Education all came together to design and give students a free mobile phone. But a phone with a difference. The Million phone rewards students for everything they do in school with everything that interests them out of school.

During school hours the phone (a Samsung U740) delivers educational messages and help with homework. The more you achieve at school, the more credits you get to use the phone out of school hours.

You get free talktime, free texts, music downloads, movie tickets, store discounts…

Results:

On February 27^th, the Million programme was launched in New York and within weeks teachers were recording improvements in participation and grades.

Rollout continues in schools across NYC. Now schools in Houston, Chicago and New Mexico have expressed interest in having the Million Project in their schools.

The website is: http://www.millionnyc.com

video was streamed to you courtesy of Groovy Gecko.

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