What do chocolate and bicycles have in common? They can both bring joy to people, especially in parts of the world where a bike can change a life. Cadbury’s new program, the Bicycle Factory, aims to send 5,000 bicycles to communities in Ghana, where a bike can be used as an ambulance, a school bus or other important modes of transportation.
The Bicycle Factory, which is exclusive to Canada, allows people to enter the UPC code from any Cadbury product online at Thebicyclefactory.ca, where they can watch their product go through the ‘factory’ and come out at the other end as a bike part. One bike is made up of 100 parts, with the end goal of ‘building’ 5,000 bikes by July 31. There is also the added incentive of prizes, including the grand prize trip to Ghana to witness the bikes being delivered.
Cadbury’s cocoa is grown in Ghana, so the Bicycle Factory reflects the company’s efforts to give back to communities there. ‘It brings what we do full circle,’ says Luisa Girotto, VP corporate affairs, Cadbury North America. ‘We go right back to the people who give us the ingredients to make terrific chocolate, and it’s the way, really, that every manufacturer should be.’
The program is being pushed through a campaign created by Toronto-based The Hive that includes TV spots, in-store displays, ads in community papers and a guerilla effort whereby street teams will tag 9,000 bicycles in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. It was launched with a media event in April put on by PR agency Strategic Objectives.
