Perfect Viral Marketing from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
One of the most successful marketing campaigns that we have seen in recent years is the ice bucket challenge for ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Thanks to the challenge, more than £60 million has been raised for ALS research and patient services – £50 million more than the total raised last year. So, what has made the ALS ice bucket such a success?
Fun and Easy
There isn’t much that you need to do in order to take part in the ice bucket challenge. You pour a bucket of ice water over your head, donate £10 and nominate three friends to do the same. If you don’t participate in the challenge, then you must donate £100. The results are always hilarious because – who doesn’t want to see their friends doused in ice-cold water? It makes for perfect sharing material.
Sense of Urgency
When you nominate a person to do the ice bucket challenge, you give a 24-hour deadline. If your friend does not comply, then they have to donate £100. We’re not sure where the rules came from, but there are in place to create a sense of urgency and get people donating and sharing. Without the deadline, there would likely be fewer ice bucket videos out there.
Participants Feel Good
There’s nothing quite like feeling a sense of accomplishment, and that’s exactly what the ice bucket challenge provides. Participants can feel like they’ve made a difference for a great cause. They can also identify with high-profile celebrities like David Beckham, Bill Gates and even Homer Simpson. It creates a sense of unity over a good cause.
The Beckham Family’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:
Compared to Other Viral Campaigns
You can really see exactly why the ice bucket challenge has become so successful simply by looking at other viral marketing campaigns. We all remember the infamous Kony 2012 campaign, which was everything that the ice bucket challenge is not:
It was expensive, requiring participants to spend £20 on a pack of posters. It was time consuming, as a 20-minute video explained the call to action and participants were called to on to spend the night covering their town with posters. There was little urgency, as over a month elapsed between the time the video was first posted and the time that participants were to ‘Cover the Night’. During that time, viewers found a number of discrepancies, including facts that had been distorted by the campaign and misleading information about where the fundraising money would be spent.
Win Marketing is pleased to support the ice bucket challenge and ALS. We’ve made our donation to the ALS Foundation, and you can do the same at: http://www.alsa.org/donate/.
One of the most successful marketing campaigns that we have seen in recent years is the ice bucket challenge for ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease. Thanks to the challenge, more than £60 million has been raised for ALS research and patient services – £50 million more than the total raised last year. So, what has made the ALS ice bucket such a success?
Fun and Easy
There isn’t much that you need to do in order to take part in the ice bucket challenge. You pour a bucket of ice water over your head, donate £10 and nominate three friends to do the same. If you don’t participate in the challenge, then you must donate £100. The results are always hilarious because – who doesn’t want to see their friends doused in ice-cold water? It makes for perfect sharing material.
Sense of Urgency
When you nominate a person to do the ice bucket challenge, you give a 24-hour deadline. If your friend does not comply, then they have to donate £100. We’re not sure where the rules came from, but there are in place to create a sense of urgency and get people donating and sharing. Without the deadline, there would likely be fewer ice bucket videos out there.
Participants Feel Good
There’s nothing quite like feeling a sense of accomplishment, and that’s exactly what the ice bucket challenge provides. Participants can feel like they’ve made a difference for a great cause. They can also identify with high-profile celebrities like David Beckham, Bill Gates and even Homer Simpson. It creates a sense of unity over a good cause.
The Beckham Family’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:
Compared to Other Viral Campaigns
You can really see exactly why the ice bucket challenge has become so successful simply by looking at other viral marketing campaigns. We all remember the infamous Kony 2012 campaign, which was everything that the ice bucket challenge is not:
It was expensive, requiring participants to spend £20 on a pack of posters. It was time consuming, as a 20-minute video explained the call to action and participants were called to on to spend the night covering their town with posters. There was little urgency, as over a month elapsed between the time the video was first posted and the time that participants were to ‘Cover the Night’. During that time, viewers found a number of discrepancies, including facts that had been distorted by the campaign and misleading information about where the fundraising money would be spent.
Win Marketing is pleased to support the ice bucket challenge and ALS. We’ve made our donation to the ALS Foundation, and you can do the same at: http://www.alsa.org/donate/.
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