Get your RAK out!

First, let me explain – RAK = Random Acts of Kindness, is an up and coming consumer strategy which does exactly what it says on the tin – random, out of the blue acts of genuine kindness. Is there such a thing? As Joe-from-friends once said, there is no such thing as philanthropy. The dictionary defines philanthropy as;

1.	the practice of performing charitable or benevolent actions
2.	love of mankind in general

Sounds about right. Yes, I hear you, cynic; “it’s not kindness, its a PR stunt to promote the brand and increase their corporate responsibility, its manipulative marketing”. But who gives a shit if it promotes the brand if that brand is devoting time, energy and creativity to brighten up a few peoples days? If creating happiness becomes synonymous with making money, being creative, and most importantly, T R E N D Y, then who gives a damn what the side products are.

I like RAK. A lot. Some great examples;

– a company sends a care package to a random selection of people who have tweeted that they are tired.

– an airline employs a surprise team to give passengers tailor made gifts – eg – one tweets that he is going to miss a football game while in america. The surprise team give him at the airport  a lonely planet guide of the city he is visiting with every sports bar highlighted in blue.

-another airline surprised passengers on a late christmas eve flight with personalised presents on the luggage carousel.

– an eco-conscious restaurant leaves gift certificates on cars which have received parking tickets, or covers bike seats when it rains.

– Tropicana brought a gigantic helium balloon ‘sun’ to an arctic town which faces 31 days of solid darkness during the winter :

It doesn’t matter how big or how small. People being kind should be the norm. And everybody likes a freebie.