Paris, June 17, 2021 – This week at Vivatech, Europe’s largest startup and tech event, WhatRocks Foundation, Publicis Media France, L’Oréal France, Orange Advertising, Verizon Media EMEA and the Jane Goodall Institute France announce the launch in September 2021 of WhatRocks™, the mobile wallet for good that brands credit with digital currency so users make donations to the charities of their choice.
Donations are on the rise, but the giving gap remains
Although donations in 2020 soared by +2% in the US and by a staggering +13.7% in France with larger average donations and the emergence of new donors, charitable giving declined by -4.8% in Canada and by -5.9% in the UK. Either way, donations are still far from meeting the demand of social and environmental needs revealed and worsened by the Covid 19 crisis (mental health, social inequality etc.).
Even in the US or in France, this increased generosity may not last long as it was fueled by the lockdown-related forced savings made by consumers who had additional disposable income to make donations. As the lockdown is coming to an end and as consumption picks up, donations are likely to return to previous levels with a 64-year-old average donor and donors aged 50-year-old or above accounting for 72% of charitable giving in France as well as in the US.
In response to the structural imbalance in the age pyramid of donors, WhatRocks Foundation helps the charitable sector prepare the future of giving by offering younger generations new ways to give that leverage their digital tools, habits and way of life.
WhatRocks™, the mobile wallet for good based on blockchain technology
As $1 spent in advertising generates $7 in GDP according to Deloitte, WhatRocks Foundation capitalizes on the brands’ fast-growing ad spending that accelerate the recovery of the post-covid economy.
With the support of 50+ brands, media agencies, online publishers, ad networks and charities that signed the Pact for Advertising for Good, WhatRocks Foundation is presenting WhatRocks™, the mobile wallet for good. Brands empower users financially to donate by crediting their WhatRocks™ wallet with fixed-value blockchain tokens called Rocks™ whenever they see or click on their WhatRocks™-labeled ads online. Thanks to this digital currency, each user makes donations to the charities of their choice from the list available in their WhatRocks™ mobile wallet.
A member of the global startup accelerator of L’Oréal Group at Station F in Paris, France, WhatRocks™ will launch in France and Canada in September 2021 and in the US and the UK in 2022.
A launch amplified by the referral of founding members
Among the many supporters of WhatRocks™, several brands, online publishers, and ad networks have joined the WhatRocks™ community as Founding Members in a commitment to advertising for good.
These Founding Members benefit from a customized referral code for them to share with their online audience and fans in social media who will receive an initial credit of 250 Rocks™ as a welcome bonus when they open their WhatRocks™ account with their referral code.
Thanks to these Founding Members, newly registered users referred to WhatRocks™ receive digital currency at sign up credit to make donations to the charities of their choice. Even better, WhatRocks™ users may earn additional Rocks™ by referring friends to the WhatRocks™ community. More importantly, they will receive Rocks™ whenever they see or click on WhatRocks™-labeled ads across the web.
Rocks™, a monetary instrument to compensate for the carbon footprint of digital ads
WhatRocks™ stands out in the crowd of digital wallets since this mobile wallet for good is credited solely by brands, not by the user’s credit card or by any cashback program.
WhatRocks™ is also the first large-scale consumer blockchain application thanks to the Rocks™ that users donate to the social or environmental causes they care about.
Njara Zafimehy, Founder & CEO of WhatRocks Foundation, says: « While the reduction of the environmental impact of their digital ads is a priority for brands, they also need to fund the carbon compensation of their campaigns. By using the WhatRocks™ label on each and every digital ad they run, brands can use the Rocks™ they give away to users as the concrete and undisputable proof of their financial commitment to compensate for the carbon footprint of their campaigns and eliminate the risk of being accused of greenwashing. Each user may decide to donate all or part of the money they received from brands to environmental organizations. »
About WhatRocks Foundation
WhatRocks Foundation is the non-profit organization that governs WhatRocks™, the mobile wallet for good that brands credit with fixed-value blockchain tokens called Rocks™ whenever registered users watch or click on their WhatRocks™-labeled ads across the web. Thanks to this digital currency that brands pay to compensate financially for the carbon emissions of their digital ads, or simply to give back to the community, users make donations to the charities of their choice from the list available in their WhatRocks™ mobile wallet.
The WhatRocks™ mobile wallet is developed and operated by technical service provider WhatRocks Inc. pursuant to the governance established by WhatRocks Foundation. WhatRocks Inc. is a member of the global startup acceleration program of L’Oréal at Station F in Paris, France.
More info at www.whatrocks.co
Press contact
press@whatrocksfoundation.com
OPEN LIST OF SUPPORTERS
OF THE WHATROCKS™ COMMUNITY
BRANDS
AliExpress
Celio
CrackerBarrel (Lactalis Canada) – Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Clarins France - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Clarins Canada - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community ™
Intermarché
IOGO (Lactalis Canada) - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
L’Oréal France - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Lactantia (Lactalis Canada) - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
MEDIA AGENCIES
Amplifi
Blue 449
Dentsu Aegis Network France
Digiteka
Gamned
Havas Group
Iki Activation
Initiative France
IPG Mediabrands France
O Connection
Obviously
Performics France
Publicis Media France - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Starcom France
TimeOne Groupe
Zenith France
ONLINE PUBLISHERS AND AD NETWORKS
20 Minutes
366 Communities
CMI Média
Doctissimo (Unify) - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Geste
GMC
M6 Publicité
Marmiton (Unify) - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Média Figaro
Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
Orange Advertising - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Prisma Media
RelevanC Advertising
Snap France
Syndicat des Régies Internet (SRI)
TF1 Publicité
Yahoo (Verizon Media France) - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
AD TECH FIRMS
Commanders Act
Criteo France
Teads
Qwant
ViewPay
Xandr France
CHARITIES
Association Caméléon
Epic - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
J’ai un rêve
Jane Goodall Institute France - Founding member of the WhatRocks™ community
Les Enfants de la Terre
Make.org
Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque
OrphanAid Africa
Princesse Margot
Toutes à l’école
Unicef France