NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jun 14, 2012) - O, The Oprah Magazine, in partnership with Zappos.com, has launched 'Random Acts of O,' an online initiative to spread kindness and make the world a friendlier place. Powered by social good innovator DailyFeats via a tab on the O Magazine Facebook page, readers are invited to participate in monthly kindness challenges based on issue themes. Readers can track their good deeds, share them with friends and win prizes. As part of the program, which runs through December 2012, O Magazine and Zappos.com will also bring kindness experiences to life with real-world stunts and surprises.
Kicking off with the July 2012 Summer Reading issue, on newsstands now, the first challenge is a "Pledge to Read": Using the Facebook app, people will promise to read one of the 20 books featured on O Magazine's Books of Summer list; fifty will be selected at random to win a tote bag filled with every book in the collection. Once 50,000 pledges have been received, $5,000 will be donated to support Teach for America, a program that works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunities for children facing the challenges of poverty. On June 27, O and Zappos.com will also thank the new Teach for America recruits with donuts, copies of Wild -- the first selection from Oprah's Book Club 2.0 -- and other treats on the St. John's University campus in Queens, NY -- a small gesture to show how much their hard work is valued.
'Random Acts of O' will feature a new challenge each month, with a custom app tracking participants' progress and building points towards rewards from O Magazine and Zappos.com along the way -- everything from gift cards to select items on O's coveted list of "Favorite Things."
"'Random Acts of O' is about doing small things that can have a big impact," said Jill Seelig, publisher of O, The Oprah Magazine. "Partnering with Zappos.com's 'Delivering Happiness' campaign and DailyFeats' 'Do Good' mission gives our readers new tools and ideas for living their best lives."
"The power of a strong, supportive community is one of Zappos.com's core beliefs, and 'Random Acts of O' is the perfect embodiment of that," said Matt Burchard, Zappos.com senior director of marketing photo and video. "This program is about mindfulness -- setting goals for yourself and doing good for others at the same time -- what could be better?"
"With 'Random Acts of O,' there's a huge opportunity to spread kindness to millions of people," said Morley Ivers, DailyFeats President and COO. "Small, positive actions make a big impact, and we are excited to see how this program helps bring kindness and joy into people's everyday lives."
About O, The Oprah Magazine
O, The Oprah Magazine (oprah.com/omagazine) encourages confident, intelligent women to reach for their dreams, express their individual style and make wise choices, guided by the values of one of the most charismatic women in the world, O Editorial Director Oprah Winfrey. With an emphasis on personal growth, the magazine inspires, addressing every aspect of a woman's life -- the material, the intellectual and the emotional -- and deeply connects with more than 15 million readers every month (MRI, 2011 Doublebase). From the moment it launched, O, The Oprah Magazine carved out a unique position in the marketplace and created an entirely new category in women's magazines, delivering the Live Your Best Life message through thoughtful, ever-evolving content and the trusted advice provided by Suze Orman, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz and other well-known experts. In May 2012, O, The Oprah Magazine won the publishing industry's highest honor, the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) award for General Excellence. O, The Oprah Magazine is available on Zinio, Barnes & Noble Nook, Amazon Kindle and Flipboard, and its namesake iPad app is available on the App store at www.itunes.com/appstore. Follow O, The Oprah Magazine on Twitter @O_Magazine.
O, The Oprah Magazine, which also publishes a South African edition, is a co-venture between Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines, a unit of The Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the nation's largest diversified media and information companies. With its acquisition of Lagardère SCA's 100 titles in 14 countries outside of France, Hearst Magazines now publishes more than 300 editions around the world, including 20 U.S. titles. Hearst Magazines is a leading publisher of monthly magazines in the U.S. in terms of total circulation and reaches 87 million adults (Spring 2011 MRI).
About Zappos.com
Established in 1999, Zappos.com, operated by Zappos Development, has quickly become the leading destination in online apparel and footwear sales by striving to provide shoppers with the best possible service and selection. The Zappos.com Family generates gross merchandise sales exceeding $1 billion annually. Zappos.com currently showcases millions of products from over 1000 clothing and shoe brands. Zappos.com Inc. was recognized in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 by FORTUNE MAGAZINE as one of the "100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR". Zappos.com is also proud to be rated ELITE by STELLAService and was named a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 companies so named in the U.S. More information about the customer service philosophy, unique culture, and job openings can be found at http://about.Zappos.com. More information about Zappos.com Insights, and its business membership program can be found at http://www.Zapposinsights.com. Zappos.com is a subsidiary of (AMZN) Amazon.com
About DailyFeats
DailyFeats (www.dailyfeats.com), available free for web and iPhone, helps people make positive change by forming small daily habits. In partnership with Cigna, eBay, Happy Family, O, The Oprah Magazine, ONE Campaign, Walgreens, and a coalition of other organizations, DailyFeats offers tools and motivation for sustainable behavior change, helping its members take action to improve their health and well-being. Members earn points for their actions or "feats," share progress with friends, and redeem their points for savings from national brands or partner donations to non-profits. DailyFeats is a certified B Corporation.