Stupid name … great idea. The Carrotmob is an activist group, based in California, that uses the power of collective purchasing to persuade businesses to behave in a more socially-responsible way. It is people power in its purest form – the corporation agrees to operate more responsibly than its competitors and, in return, the ‘mob’ agrees to support it with its money.
The first Carrotmob initiative was to reward the off-licence in San Francisco that agreed to spend the highest percentage of its profits on energy efficiency measures. They describe it as the opposite of a boycott … “there are enough sticks out there. We need a big juicy carrot” … hence the name.
It is actually one of the oldest ideas in organised behaviour – the co-operative or mutual movement – updated for the internet age. And is yet another example of how the activist community has been quick to spot the opportunities presented by consumer empowerment. Not suprisingly, the movement has started to spread around the globe and a number of groups have started to form in UK cities. Here’s a short video from one of the UK activists.