What’s the number one thing you could do to change the world?

It’s amusing to see in Coca-Cola’s recent CSR campaign the #1thing how clueless, apathetic or powerless most people are.

If your number one thing is to giveaway ice cream or smile at people, I’m afraid you lack ambition. Or perhaps you feel powerless in the bigger picture.

Yes, there is no right answer to the question and every answer should be welcomed.

World peace and reduced global warming sounds better – although how can one regular person be able to do anything about that. Maybe giving a smile to someone is the easiest option.

Nevertheless, there is something extremely appealing about the video: it feels genuine and humble; regular people are captured; their thoughts come across unscripted; they even appear somewhat comical…one woman gets filmed in silence as she tries hard to come up with a good enough answer but fails. In short, there is a general feel good atmosphere to the movie as it comes across as unpretentious.

The video forms part of a much larger initiative LivePositivelyCollective.com. It’s a site which Coca-Cola launched in January, aiming to create public discussion, find ideas and solutions, and showcase what others are doing to make the world wonderful.

Regarding the campaign, FT journalist Clare Dowdy writes, “Beyond a warm, cosy feeling, it seems rather far-fetched to think any good could actually come about.”

Whatever the outcome, it’s surely creating some good attention. So far, it has received over 100,000 views for its video the #1thing and 268 likes on youtube. Also, as FT points out, it has received over 1000 tweets on the launch of the video based on tweetreach.  

Some of us might remain unsure about what Coca-Cola is doing to make the world a better place. Perhaps, it’s by giving us its number one soft drink and doing business sustainably. Or maybe it’s by creating a forum for a much bigger and more important discussion, one which we should all be preoccupied with.

Universum’s employer brand study in France reveals that French students give great importance to companies with active CSR policies and practices. Questioning a whopping 26,878 students, only a small minority of students (4%) were totally indifferent.

A warning sign for all companies that pay lip service to CSR, French students will be watching and judging you! Nearly half of France’s young career-seekers decide to choose you or not based on your social engagement and commitment.

The importance of CSR in France