Orange to expand gigs for charity work scheme

By Camille Alarcon

Orange RockCorps, the initiative that sees charity volunteers rewarded with an exclusive free concert, will this year bolster its presence beyond London to encompass Manchester and Paris.

The initiative from Orange, which launched last year, will see 8,000 volunteer positions created in London and Manchester that will allow people to undertake community-based charity projects for four hours, and in return earn tickets to exclusive gigs in the respective cities.

A supporting ad campaign, created by Fallon, will launch in July and include television, press and outdoor activity.

The ads will feature last year’s volunteers and are aimed at encouraging young people to get involved. It will also echo Orange’s brand positioning “Together we can do more”.

Orange and RockCorps, the pro-social music production company, will again team up with Sony Ericsson and Channel 4 as part of the initiative. The latter will broadcast shows about the voluntary work being carried out and the UK gigs on T4.

Lady GaGa will be one of the headline acts at the Manchester concert, to be held on July 13. The London concert will be held on September 26. In Paris, there will be 5,000 places available for volunteers to sign up and attend a gig on October 2. In total, there will be 13,000 volunteers involved in the programme.

Last year, the London concert featured artists such as Busta Rhymes and Ludacris.