New Blog: Media for Social Impact Summit 2014

The Business Call to Action was delighted to have the opportunity to present at the first Media for Social Impact Summit hosted by the PVBLIC Foundation and the UN Office for Partnerships. The event provided a unique (if not rare) occasion to share our mission and vision with key leaders involved in shaping public opinion, namely the often feared but much needed media and advertising community. For the United Nations, the power of media cannot be ignored and its voice can be instrumental to driving and building strong social campaigns, such as the Every Mother Every Child and the UN Millennium campaign. More importantly, there is a growing list of thought leaders as well as creatives who have become instrumental in raising awareness on critical issues such as women and education via the Half the Sky Movement or on the importance of health vaccination with the Shot@LIFE campaign. Sitting on the public side of the fence, it was useful to hear how the media community tackles complex social issues presenting a number of game changing case studies including, Giving Tuesday and the Rainforest Alliance's award-winning Follow the Frog campaign.

With an audience of more than 200 media and advertising executives, the Summit also provided the BCtA an exclusive glimpse into the strategic thinking of those in the media space and a way to share our multi-stakeholder initiative to a powerful new audience. By presenting our platform and priority areas, the forum also allowed us the chance to share knowledge and collectively brainstorm on how to continue to raise awareness on the work of the BCtA. We are pleased to have been included in such a creative gathering and look forward to feedback which helps build support for our mission in helping companies develop inclusive business models that offer both commercial success and development impact.