Penne for Your Thoughts - Or in This Case, Your Hashtag

Especially since Instagram has become popular, the influence of social media has completely changed the way food is marketed. In 2014, Virgin Mobile started a huge charity campaign with OzHarvest. They created the hashtag #mealforameal, where every photo that was shared using that hashtag meant that Virgin would donate a meal to someone in need.

This is a great campaign via social media because the hashtag means they reach a wide audience, as it means everyone following someone can see what they post, and can follow the hashtag to get more photos and information. Because it's a new hashtag, it also creates curiosity from the audience, as they'll wanted to know what the campaign is, and what the hashtag means.

It's also smart because it involved very little audience involvement - people constantly share photos of their food with lots of hashtags anyway, so one additional hashtag doesn't involve a lot of effort. People can also be hesitant to share posts, donate money, or write a whole new post -  things that they may not usually do. But because people understand the amount of food that gets wasted - just by looking in their own bin at the end of the day! - and know and recognise OzHarvest as a great charity, it means they're very likely to get on board with the campaign to make it successful.

You can find out more information from the video below, or having a look at Virgin Australia or OzHarvest's website. I really encourage you guys to use the hashtag - the campaign's still going on, it's a really good cause, and it's so easy to do!