Defining a New Category of Philanthropy
It was February of 2010, and the D.C.-area, along with the rest of the north eastern United States, was in the midst of a particularly massive blizzard, which would come to be known as the “Snowpocalypse.”
Driven by their desire to escape their cabin fever and in spite of the less than temperate weather, three college buddies decided to strip down to their skivvies, take to the snow-covered streets, and run in their undies for a good cause (and a good time!)
The event, they decided, would take place on Valentine’s day, and they’d call it “Cupid’s Undie Run.” The funds they raised would go toward helping sufferers of Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that one of their brothers had lived with all of his life.
The friends had modest goals for their first run; they estimated that 30–50 runners would be courageous enough to brave the brash weather in their intimates, and that they’d raise around $500 to donate to their chosen cause.
Instead, more than 600 people showed up to that first event, and over $15,000 dollars were raised to aid the fight against NF. Since that first year, Cupid’s has grown year after year, and their flagship undie run takes over streets in cities across the nation every Valentine’s day.
Last year, they came to us for assistance as they began to expand their once-a-year charity event into a full-blown philanthropy movement. In addition to changing the name of the brand (from Cupid’s Undie Run to Cupid’s Charity), we were also tasked with creating a new visual identity and the core brand messaging that could help the nonprofit accomplish this strategic goal.
In the initial stages of our work, we asked ourselves: “What is most unique about Cupid’s? What do they do that’s never been done before?”
We knew the answer to that question as soon as we asked it: Cupid’s was one of the few charity organizations that focused on having fun, rather than relying on guilt or pity, to attract its supporters. While most nonprofit organizations use doom and gloom or sad Sarah McLachlan songs, Cupid’s flipped the script and gave trailblazing philanthropists the option to do good while having an absolute blast.
This focus on fun is what allowed the organization to attract a massive community of supporters, most of whom had no direct ties to the disease they were working together to eradicate. In fact, we learned that a surprisingly small percentage of Cupid’s undie runners reported knowing an NF sufferer. Most of them were just fun-loving people with big hearts (and cold cheeks).
That’s incredibly impressive, and we knew that this core differentiator needed to be reflected in all of the work we created for Cupid’s.
We wanted to create and define the category for the type of philanthropy Cupid’s was pioneering, and we wanted to establish Cupid’s as the king of that category.
In line with that goal, we literally invented a new word that perfectly encapsulates that new category. Here’s how we define it & its multiple parts.
Thrill-anthropy
(Noun)
Cupid’s unique brand of philanthropy that combines doing good with having an absolute blast in great company.
Thrill-anthropist
(Noun)
A thrill-seeking, trailblazing do-gooder who makes a positive impact on the world by taking part in exhilarating, adrenaline-inducing philanthropic experiences. You run in your underwear, party like is 2099, and do good because it’s in your blood.
Thrill-anthropic
(Adjective)
It’s that exhilarating experience, event, or moment that you enjoy as you make a positive impact on the world.
To explore the brand that we created for Cupid’s, check out the Brand Bible we designed for them. It outlines and provides usage guidelines for all of the visual and verbal elements of the work we created for them.
