Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Marketing Lessons: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $100 million for the ALS Association in the month of August alone. Even though the activity as well as the end use of funds has been criticized by many, the impact created by this chain-reaction cannot be overstated. Participated in by thousands across the globe, the New York Times reported that the seed for its virality germinated when in late July, Pete Frates, an ALS patient posted a video of himself bobbing his head to the hit ‘90s song “Ice Ice Baby” and nominating a few of his friends to douse themselves in ice water or donate money for the cause. The stunt soon spread across Boston and then permeated globally when a few big names fell into the loop.

The magnitude of the stunt’s virality speaks a lot about the power of publicity over paid marketing. In this age of heavy social media influence, businesses are constantly in the rush to outdo each other in not just reaching but touching the consumers to build brand loyalty. Here are a few tips that we can take from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in building viral content that markets itself.

Simplicity

With increasing avenues for distraction, social networking sites are constantly buzzing with content aiming towards mass appeal. The popularity of image memes can be attributed to their simple format. Similarly, short articles are preferred over more descriptive content; and graphic representation over textual. A video provides detailed information in limited time and in the easiest to consume fashion. Thus, it has been one of the primary reasons for the stunt’s popularity.

Humor

Most users log on to the social media to escape boredom. Presenting an idea with a touch of fun or humor helps in spreading the message without giving it a serious packaging. Zomato can be named as one example which constantly posts original light hearted content related to its industry to build a fun oriented image with the youth. The amusing reactions of people taking the challenge were looked forward to by most.

Multiplier Effect

The activity required participants to nominate their friends to take up the challenge. The element of challenge acted as a catalyst in prompting people to participate and prove their ability to engage in the stunt. Giving a deadline of twenty-four hours further expedited the participation and ensured that the thrill does not fizzle out.

Sense of Goodness

Any business offering’s first rule is to make the customer feel good about himself and generate a sense of self worth that he may not achieve by using a competitor’s product or service. The challenge made people feel good about themselves for donating towards a good cause. In the process, a lot of participants educated themselves about the disease and felt sensitized towards the cause, even though minutely.

Flexibility and Customization

The act further allowed for flexibility in terms of location for performing it, the amount of money to be donated and the amount of ice that people chose to put in their buckets, thus making the stunt even easier to perform.

Despite the criticism, the challenge gave people all over the world a fun activity to engage in, formed a source of entertainment, spread awareness and raised money for a cause. Win-Win!

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Further Reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Bucket_Challenge
http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/266559/speedreads-this-is-the-guy-who-made-the-ice-bucket-challenge-go-viral
http://www.viralthread.com/ice-bucket-challenge/
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236843
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/ice-bucket-challenge-viral/
http://grist.org/living/four-reasons-that-ice-bucket-challenge-went-crazy-viral/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricksmith/2014/09/01/the-science-behind-the-success-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge/
http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25817/what-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-can-teach-us-about-content-marketing

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Image Source: slate.com

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