Unless you have never used the internet or any technological devices that go along with it, then there is likely a 100% chance that you have heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. In the past few weeks it has been impossible to log onto Facebook without seeing a celebrity, athlete, politician, friend, or family member dumping a bucket of ice on their heads. The fuss all began on July 29th, when this ALS fundraiser and awareness campaign took social media by storm.
The rules are simple. Once challenged, the participant has 24 hours to either dump a bucket of ice water on his or her head, or donate $100 to an ALS charity of their choice. To keep the madness going, the participant must then nominate three more people to either freeze or pay up. Major celebrities and business stalwarts, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, have all taken the plunge.
While this Ice Bucket Challenge is fun to watch and even more fun to participate, it also benefits a good cause. Looking from a marketing and advertising perspective, this social media campaign is simply pure genius. Let’s take a closer look.
1) It Relates to a Cause: The objective of the campaign is to help raise awareness about ALS also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Looking at past marketing campaigns throughout history we have seen that campaigns which the audience holds an emotional to tend to be more successful.
2) It’s Simple: The Ice Bucket Challenge is easy; all you need is a device with a camera and a social media account. Now-a-days this is commonplace in our society. Deducting the miniscule cost of the ice and the amount of money you choose to donate, participating in the ice bucket challenge is free of charge.
3) It’s Fun: The challenge itself is a funny and entertaining concept, watching your friends’ and family’s reactions to a bucket of ice being dumped on their heads is more than hilarious. The cherry on top is that it is posted on social media for all to see. Watching our favorite celebrities participate also makes the challenge extremely entertaining and personable; both Justin Timberlake and I dumped a bucket of ice water on our heads, so we’re basically best friends now.
4) It leads to Endorsers!: Any successful viral campaign achieves what it’s meant to do, which is raise money and create a pool of supporters. In this specific case the campaign was also made to raise awareness which it has done with much ease. The Ice Bucket Challenge hit the trifecta; it gets everyone personally involved, it has raised an immense amount of awareness, and their donation funds are bursting at the seams.
From a marketing and advertising perspective, we as advertisers can learn a lot from this viral social media campaign. Social media is such a powerful tool in the modern world, and a simple, yet creative idea can spread like wild fire if executed the right way; not even a bucket of ice would be able to put it out. Here at On Campus Advertising we can help you execute your own viral campaign with the use of IP and Mobile marketing. Wouldn’t it be cool if you came up with the “New Ice Bucket Challenge?”