Home appliance brand Whirlpool is bringing corporate social responsibility to the forefront via a new social media campaign celebrating the ways that people care about each other by asking mobile users to upload acts of care using the #ItsAllCare hashtag.

The campaign arrives just ahead of Mother?s Day and Father?s Day, asking consumers to take a closer look at their family members and friends to identify the unique acts of kindness they all perform. Leveraging social media is an optimal strategy to connect with millennials who may be searching for home appliances to purchase for their homes and are unfamiliar with specific brands.

?#ItsAllCare is a social program built on the insight that care is a reflection of personality, and everyone approaches care in his or her own way,? said Jonathan Hall, senior brand manager at Whirlpool Brand, Benton Harbor, MI.

?That is why Whirlpool brand is inviting people to shoot a video or take a photo of the special, unexpected, creative or sometimes even crazy ways people express care, using the hashtag #ItsAllCare or uploading at whirlpool.com.?

Corporate social responsibility
Whirlpool?s campaign is a prime example of how marketers can leverage corporate social responsibility in a mobile-friendly manner. Although it is not cross-partnering with another organization, the message of caring augments its brand and casts it in a positive light.

Users are asked to snap a photo or take a video of some of the unique ways that people express care for each other, ranging from someone?s mother dancing with a mop, to a father doing his signature pancake flip for the family. The posts will be aggregated on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via the designated #ItsAllCare hashtag.

Posts may also be uploaded onto whirlpool.com. Consumers interested in keeping up with the conversation and viewing the sometimes-crazy or extreme ways people show affection for each other are encouraged to follow the @WhirlpoolUSA handle on Twitter, visit the Web site and go to
facebook.com/whirlpoolusa.

The brand has already kicked off the campaign on its Facebook page by posting a playlist ideal for cleaning, as well as videos of consumers dancing or cleaning, with some featuring Whirlpool?s products.

The campaign functions as an extension of Whirlpool?s Every Day Care campaign, which also showcases how the brand?s items provide care and utility in consumers? everyday lives.

If plenty of social media users upload endearing videos or photos, Whirlpool may eventually see a viral hit on its hands.

Hitting consumers? hearts
While these types of strategies for brand awareness are plentiful, they do offer the potential for emotional connection with future customers, if approached appropriately.

Whirlpool believes it is important to spur conversations about acts of kindness, and finds social media as the ideal vehicle of communication for this.

Other top brands are also joining in the push for more corporate social responsibility.

Walmart is also asking consumers to partake in its Fight Hunger. Spark Change campaign by uploading a photo with six friends onto social networks to prompt the retailer to donate $10 per post to Feeding America, proving that social media is an optimal communication vehicle for cross-partnerships with nonprofits (see story).

?We saw that people were already sharing examples of daily care in action online and via their mobile devices ? some funny, some unconventional, and some endearing,? Mr. Hall said. ?We are tapping into the conversation and curating new and existing social content to fuel the conversation and shine a light on the meaningful impact daily acts of care (cooking, washing and cleaning) can have at whirlpool.com and with #ItsAllCare.

?We want people to see that matter your approach, if it comes from care, it counts.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York