Like many political movements, this one was born of a simple premise: That we, as a country, can do better. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz watched partisan politics stall and derail any meaningful progress toward solving the many problems facing the United States. Unwilling to accept leadership he found lacking, Howard said enough is enough.

In his first “Letter to America,” published in August 2011, he asked Americans to put pressure on nationally-elected officials by pledging to withhold campaign contributions. Additionally, he asked business leaders to commit to accelerating job creation within their organizations. Together, he believed, these commitments would raise awareness with citizens and would pressure politicians to alter their approach.

"We must be catalysts for change... waiting for Washington to act is not a plan of action."

Howard Schultz | Starbucks CEO

 

The team at POP was inspired by this non-partisan, solutions-oriented message. Working collaboratively with the team at Starbucks, POP conceived and created a digital platform to help citizens and business leaders participate directly in the initiative. With a website, Facebook page and a collection of Facebook apps, the campaign inspired, empowered and connected a community of citizens from the left and the right who were committed to change.

Putting a Movement in Motion

Howard’s letter was a call to arms, but did not provide a direct mechanism through which citizens and business leaders could easily participate. It was immediately clear that Facebook would be the ideal platform to build the campaign upon, as it provided massive reach and infrastructure that could amplify Howard's message.

POP created a Facebook page, website and supporting Facebook applications around which an active community was built. The Facebook page and website both allowed citizens and business leaders to “Take the Pledge,” recording their support for Howard’s initiative. In less than 60 days, more than 23,000 people pledged to withhold political contributions and over 3,000 business leaders and corporations made the “Pledge to Hire.”

An Opportunity to Be Heard

Since its launch, the Upward Spiral Facebook page has received over 27,000 Likes—a significant achievement for a non-partisan political movement—and has become a hub for discussion and debate, with thousands of comments made and shared by hundreds of individuals from across the political spectrum. Upward Spiral has been featured on Nightline, The Huffington Post, CNN Money, and Forbes.com, as well as dozens of blogs and national and global news sites.

Upward Spiral has also attracted the attention of politicians at the highest level: in his interview with Fortune magazine, Howard Schultz described a surprise phone call initiated by President Obama in which the President shared his concerns over the impact of Upward Spiral on the 2012 campaign. Upward Spiral demonstrated the power of social media and helped the United States take one small step closer to a government that is truly by the people, for the people.