American Express expresses support for Japan via Facebook

David Swan
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 12:52

Your IT - Home IT

American Express has announced its plans to donate $1 toward relief efforts for every message of hope shared for Japan on Facebook.

American Express today launched Friends of Japan, a global program on Facebook designed to revive global attention on relief efforts since the earthquake struck off the East coast of Japan five months ago.

People from around the world, including Australians, are encouraged to share messages of hope through the Friends of Japan section of American Express Japan's Facebook page.

The Friends of Japan Facebook page will be translated into eight languages and American Express will donate $1 towards the relief efforts for every message of hope posted from anywhere in the world.

Visitors to the page can select one of four messages or create their own message of hope for Japan in the form of a virtual postcard.

The donations will go to Japan Platform, an intermediary non-government organisation that supports various relief agencies active in the affected areas.

Facebook visitors can also view the messages of hope shared by others around the world; each postcard is customised with the sender's first name and country.

In addition to sharing and reviewing messages of hope for Japan, Facebook users will be also able to learn about the status of relief efforts, share information and photos with friends and encourage their participation.

'It's been five months since the Japan earthquake and there are many impacted areas that are still in need of support,' said Robert Siedell, Country Manager of American Express in Japan.

"Leveraging the power of Facebook's global platform and American Express' global network, Friends of Japan is a way to bring an international community together and re-ignite the conversation to maintain support for ongoing relief efforts.'

The program will run for four weeks.