lore social
Roar Social, a platform at the intersection of social media and philanthropy, today released the beta version of its app after three years of development amid industry disruption. A tweet has appeared. A roar is heard.
It’s another video sharing app, but on top of that, Gen Z and younger Millennials (16-36 core) want to assert their values and drive viral content and engagement toward a larger social purpose. This is a tool that we are looking forward to.
Specifically, users who sign up choose one of a dozen “hero” causes, from climate change to mental health to animal welfare. Each of their posts is tagged with a matching icon, and all videos on the site (original content as well as repurposed works from TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook Reels are welcome) are associated with a purpose. It means there is. There is no “like” option. Instead, when you tap the little cartoon pig, his every penny is automatically donated to the cause through the platform’s proprietary Roar Giving Wallet technology. The Roar Social Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), serves as the mechanism for collecting and distributing donations.
In the coming months, users will be able to donate directly to individual charities if they wish. “You can dive as deep as you want. When we did early testing, we found that people were paralyzed, like, ‘Oh, what charity?’ It’s easy to say you support racial equality and mental health. And once you’re on the platform, you can select specific organizations as per your needs,” said Robert Weiss, CEO and founder of Roar Social. The key was to make it easy and fun.
Users create a “Social Giving Wallet” and top it up with a minimum of $5. Most of the tests use his Apple Pay. The default donation is 1 cent, and each tap adds 1 penny. When the wallet is empty, the bubble will ask the user to replenish the piggy bank with money.
“Roar Social is having a cultural moment,” he told Deadline. “Millennials care deeply about social issues more than any other generation.” Weiss launched the company in 2020, raised more than $10 million in seed capital, and has partnered with Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. , attracted product and engineering talent teams from LinkedIn.
The advisory board includes Jeff Lakes, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; philanthropist and entrepreneur Mark Rockefeller; John A. Luck, co-founder of MTV. Emma Cookson, Partner at Brandtech Group. Richard Sarnoff, Chairman of KKR Media; Andrew Weinreich, founder of his early social networking platform SixDegrees. Heather Moosnick, former YouTube and Hulu executive. Barrett Garese, founding agent of UTA Online Division. Norma Rosenhein, founder of marketing company Creata. and technology/product thought leader Alex Godelman.
“Social media for social good is a simple but powerful concept,” Weiss said. He began his career as a journalist and television producer, working at cable networks FX, Fuse, Ovation, and VH1, and later leading various digital media, software, and consumer technologies. He is involved in startups such as FanDragon, RockYou, BANG, and PollPals.
“I almost started this company in 2012. I really came close to it. But I looked at the marketplace and thought, ‘Can the marketplace support this idea?’ Advertisers did not have much influence on society. Gen Z didn’t exist. And what we now call legacy social media was in some ways new. And I was an optimist by nature. I thought maybe social media would respond to this situation and make something positive. ”
“Flash forward to 2020 [and] I felt like I saw a force moving in this direction. Unfortunately, if I had to say it, social media is getting more shitty every day, and it feels like it’s not living up to this promise of being both funny and positive. Advertisers started rallying around social impact,” Weiss said.
The app won’t need traditional advertising for the next few years, but there may be some “bespoke sponsorship opportunities” in the meantime. The company also announced an immediate move to direct a portion of each year that companies spend on corporate social responsibility (CSR) through matching donations to Roar Social, a group the company aims to expand with Starbucks, Target, and Warby Parker. We are in discussions with three potential partners: “Every time someone donates to a particular nonprofit, your logo stands out in a positive light,” Weiss said, adding that “Roars” is a great way for brands to spotlight and seek out their commitment to a cause. He said this is a powerful way to increase loyalty among Gen Z consumers. ” Users can also click through to see a company’s entire philanthropic efforts.
Other plans include lining up influencers and celebrities to support causes of their choice by first posting exclusive content on Roar Social.
“I think humans, by nature, really want to make a difference. And I think humans, in general, tend to do things when they’re having fun.” Platforms aren’t fun. And people go there just to do it and then leave. So I took the best and most appealing parts of Tik Tok and Reels and now just to have fun. We want to layer on existing behaviors that are being used and add purpose behind them,” Weiss said.