• by Tanya Gazdik , October 7, 2014

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company is launching a new philanthropic social initiative called #LoveisaGift.

Designed to make a statement about the transformative power of love, the effort encourages people to share a picture of themselves which includes those who matter most to them, along with a brief explanation of why.

Through Nov. 30, for every photo story uploaded to the microsite LoveisaGift.com or to Instagram using #loveisagift, MassMutual will donate $1 to Easter Seals — up to $50,000.

The brand further brings the initiative to life through its Love is a Gift video. In an effort to convey the strong bonds people share with one another, the company chose to highlight real families, which is something MassMutual strives to portray in all of its marketing efforts.

Participants can either take a picture of themselves and the people they love or locate one on their computer, tablet or phone. Users can upload their photo directly to loveisagift.com, or through their public Instagram account using #loveisagift, along with a few words about their loved ones. Once the photo is uploaded, participants can share their photo and details of the initiative with their friends on Facebook or Twitter

This is not the company’s first exclusively social campaign and not the first for Easter Seals, says Kathleen Mayko, MassMutual director, social media.

“We know how important it is to engage people on all of the channels they frequent, and what better way to engage than through feel-good social campaigns that lets them express their support for a good cause?” she tells Marketing Daily.

The initiative continues the long-term partnership between MassMutual and Easter Seals and commemorates the 10^th year of MassMutual’s SpecialCare program, which takes a team approach to help ensure families living with disabilities receive proper life care planning for today and the future. 

The company has completed a number of social media campaigns over the last few years, and this is its third social campaign in support of Easter Seals.

“Last year, we launched a social effort to raise awareness of the emotional, physical and financial challenges faced by the millions of siblings who care for brothers and sisters with a disability,” Mayko says.

The initiative, #SiblingsMatter, encouraged people to share stories, photos and captions while tagging #SiblingsMatter across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This campaign also included a $25,000 donation to Easter Seals.

The “Down With Debt,” initiative, launched in early 2013 was a Facebook campaign aimed to give Millennials tips on how to confront college debt and encouraged the development of good financial habits.

 The current initiative is a continuation of the company’s longstanding partnership with Easter Seals.

“As a national partner with Easter Seals, we understand that love can be demonstrated in many different ways,” Mayko says. “One of those ways is by providing children and adults living with disabilities, their caregivers and veterans with access to more information, specialists, and financial strategies that can help improve their quality of life.”