Is it magic? I mean, the Ice Bucket Challenge has created impossibly amazing results for the ALS Association. It has received more than $100 million in donations.
Previously, this was not a well-known disease, so why is this campaign so particularly successful?
The concept of either jumping into cold water or having cold water poured over an individual as a way to raise money for various causes – usually cancer – is not new, but this summer’s ice bucket challenge approach has extended far beyond anything most could have predicted.
I’ve asked several participating friends whether they knew anyone with ALS. None do. So, I asked why they were inspired to participate.
And I discovered that it was not so much that they were inspired but more that they were publicly challenged by a close friend or relative and they played along to pass on the challenge. Every single one of them smiled as they related their experience, and every single one of them then challenged more than one person, contributing to the wildfire growth this has had within a very short period of time.
As marketers, it is our responsibility to clients to push past the obvious, to identify solutions for clients in every industry that creates a unique connection with their target audience. And not just to connect, but to inspire them to be brand ambassadors and refer others to their product or service.
What the ALS Association has done is to take that a step further: to not just get fans to refer but to get them to challenge others to participate/donate/support their mission. I appreciate that seismic shift from the powerful word-of-mouth marketing tool, and I am genuinely impressed with the extent of success this strategic stretch has achieved.
So how about it? Are you up for the challenge?
