• by Johanna Beyenbach , Paul Woolmington , January 29, 2007

We have noticed a resurgence of creative altruism in our industry of late: Selfless communications aiming to make a difference and help others. The highlighted campaigns - by their very participatory nature - are inspiring us to become more engaged in issues they are passionate about. The campaigns raise awareness on diverse topics and leverage the online medium to ignite people to want to change the world.

>> Make a Big Noise for Make Trade Fair. The Rumpus Room has partnered with Young Guns for this year's competition, which is aiming to generate awareness for Oxfam's The Big Noise campaign, a petition for fair international trade rules. The winning idea will be brought to life globally, getting people to sign and pass along the petition and live more conscious lifestyles. makeabignoise.org

>> (PRODUCT)RED. The largest and most salient example of creative altruism today is (PRODUCT)RED, which is an altered business model rather than a charity. Brands from Apple to GAP to Motorola donate portions of all profits to The Global Fund to help Africans with the HIV virus and AIDS. Influential brands are now nobly using their power to work with us to change the world. joinred.com

>> My Dream. Lincoln, the automaker, has provided a chance for people to share dreams and goals and motivate each other. Similar to 43things.com, the social networking site acts like a graphic tag cloud that is richly interactive and promotes discussion and inspiration. Videos of people who have achieved their own goals are posted, and those with shared ambitions are able to interact with each other.

It doesn't stop there: Strategically-placed links pointing to Amazon.com guide people toward the tools they may need to help realize their dreams. mydream.tv

>> Turn on TV. Aiming to educate youth about HIV and AIDS, MTV's global Staying Alive initiative has partnered with brilliant creative shops like 180Amsterdam and WK12 to bring you Turn On TV. The rights-free television campaign is designed to be virally passed around and picked up by third-party broadcasters, raising HIV/AIDS awareness. staying-alive.org/turnontv

>> One (RED) Day. Graphic-design students in the UK have created a series of 18 viral videos meant to raise awareness of and build support for (PRODUCT)RED, which gives money to The Global Fund. The fund helps women and children with HIV/AIDS in Africa. youtube.com/profile?user=OneREDday

Written by Johanna Beyenbach, associate strategist, and curated by Paul Woolmington, Naked Communications. (johanna@nakedcomms.com and paul@nakedcomms.com)