Causes And Creatives Join Forces To "Create GOOD" In Cannes

Fast Company and Microsoft announce three non-profits to receive a voluntary injection of expertise from the foremost creative thinkers at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

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Fast Company

Jun 09, 2015, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company and Microsoft today announced the winners of Create GOOD, a joint initiative to identify, celebrate, and guide a new age of creative, socially driven actions.

From a call to action that began on April 24 and culminated at the FC-LA Creativity Counter-Conference in Los Angeles on May 6-7, the advertising industry and members of Fast Company's "Most Creative People" community were invited to nominate non-profits that they are closely affiliated with. From the numerous nominations received, Fast Company and Microsoft selected the following three causes to participate in Create GOOD: Haitian trilingual elementary school l'Ecole de Choix (the School of Choice), scientific cancer history research organization Paleo-oncology Research Organization (PRO), and Rainforest Partnership, the international non-profit committed to protecting tropical rain forests.

"We are energized with the amount and caliber of entries we received for Create GOOD," said Jonathan Oliver, Global Head of Innovation, Advertising, Microsoft. "While it was tough to narrow the selection to three finalists, we know the selected winners will benefit hugely from the creative problem solving coming out of Cannes. This effort is an integral part of an overall initiative that Microsoft has undertaken to empower creativity and people to achieve more in enriching lives and making the world better."

As part of the Create GOOD initiative, the three winners will be flown to the 62nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to lead workshops on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Microsoft Beach Club at 52 Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes, France. With participation from the affiliated "Most Creative People" and industry leaders attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Create GOOD workshops will work to help solve a creative challenge for each non-profit – from creating compelling new logos to devising impactful social media strategies. Fast Company and Microsoft will take the final assets created from the workshops and run digital advertising on behalf of each organization on fastcompany.com to further generate awareness.

In addition, the three non-profits will be featured on stage at FC/NY, Fast Company's weeklong Innovation Festival taking place in November. At this event, Microsoft and Fast Company will continue with the Create GOOD efforts by holding a workshop called Create MORE Good in which non-profits from around the globe will participate in speed-dating style creative workshops on the ground in New York.

About the non-profits and their causes:

Nomination from Laura Pincus Hartman, Chair of the Board for l'Ecole de Choix (the School of Choice):

The cause: The School of Choice is a trilingual elementary school in Mirebalais, Haiti that offers a high-quality education for children living in extreme poverty, with a focus on leadership development. For more information, go to: ecoledechoix.org.
The challenge: To revise the school's messaging and to develop a social media campaign to broaden its reach.

Nomination from Kathryn Hunt, President and Co-Founder of Paleo-oncology Research Organization (PRO):

The cause: PRO studies the bio-cultural evolution of disease, and specifically the study of cancer in ancient societies to gain insight that will help fight the disease today. For more information, go to: cancerantiquity.org.
The challenge: To design a fresh logo and a style guide that incorporates PRO's newly created brand identity.

Nomination from Melissa Matherne, Director of Development and Communications at Rainforest Partnership:

The cause: Rainforest Partnership is an organization whose mission is to protect tropical rainforests by partnering with people at local and national levels to create lasting solutions to deforestation. For more information, go to rainforestpartnership.org.
The challenge: To create a new slogan that will help drive awareness for the Rainforest Partnership among young, digitally connected and socially conscious individuals.

"Fast Company is honored to work with Microsoft on this program that taps into our passionate community of the 'Most Creative People' in Business," said Fast Company Editor Bob Safian. "Create GOOD allows all of us to not just support charitable organizations, but also to put our collective brains and skills together to drive each of their missions forward."

For additional information about Create GOOD visit creategoodwithmicrosoft.com.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is one of the world's leading business media brands, with an editorial focus on creativity and innovation in technology, ethical economics, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc. and can be found online at fastcompany.com.

SOURCE Fast Company