StreetSmart

There's a very cool campaign running in the UK whose sole mission is to help the homeless ... or shall I say making it very easy for all of us to help the homeless.

The company is called StreetSmart, and since its start in 1998 they have raised over 5.5 million British pounds for the homeless.

The concept is so easy ... you simple eat at a participating restaurant and when you pay the bill you pay an extra British pound.  You just add it to your bill.  In fact, the restaurant has already added it so you don't really have to do anything except pay the bill like you normally would.

The company has expanded the concept to hotels now as well ... SleepSmart ... where one British pound gets added to your hotel room every night.

The insight here ... who is going to ever notice one British pound being added to their bill, or take it off if you do notice?  Yet when you think about the number of people who are eating out and staying at hotels then you quickly realize how quickly it can add up to a lot of support.  Quickly.

Through the years the organization has also added sponsors, particularly from the media like "Time Out London."  That one certainly makes sense.

I just found the whole idea so gut-level simple and easy to participate ... I want to see it come to the States.

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
Author, The Experience Effect series
Marketing Professor, NYU