A bucket full of ice dumped over your head?! This epic campaign helped raise awareness on this disease

Thursday: Gorillas of Guerilla Marketing FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Have you ever seen a brand promote its products and services in an unconventional way? I’m talking about… Guerrilla Marketing! These are creative marketing campaigns that create a memorable brand recall and fun interaction with a lot of people worldwide. Keep reading to know how this American nonprofit organization helped raise funds and awareness for people suffering from ALS syndrome! CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

A bucket full of ice dumped over your head?! This epic campaign helped raise awareness on this disease Muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue Tight and stiff muscles (spasticity) Slurred and nasal speech Difficulty in chewing or swallowing Did you know that one out of 50,000 people experience these symptoms? Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It is characterized by the destruction of motor neurons or nerve cells that control muscle movement, leading to disability. The life expectancy for ALS patients is 3 years after diagnosis. It’s alarming how anyone can be affected by it unexpectedly. Luckily, there’s the ALS Association—an American nonprofit organization that raises money for research and patient services, promotes awareness, and advocates issues related to the disease. The ALS Association continues to work hard in helping those that are diagnosed. The group also does what they can to reach a lot of people all over the world to educate them about the disease. One example… THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE!!! — A challenge that made a buzz online and created a trend. Not only did they create a successful marketing campaign, but they also reached millions of people. This challenge was a fun activity aimed to raise awareness. Anyone can participate! You just need to receive a nomination from someone who has already completed the challenge. MECHANICS: If you accept the challenge, you need to take a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head. Post the video on your social media accounts and nominate three or more people to do the challenge. If you don’t accept the challenge, you are encouraged to donate USD 100, but any amount donated to the ALS Association would be tremendously appreciated. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge started last July 2014 when professional golfer, Chris Kennedy nominated himself. He posted a video of him completing the challenge, donating to the ALS Association, and nominating his wife and 2 other friends to do the same. Kennedy’s video became the first documented ice bucket challenge to support ALS patients—making it popular online and instantly spread worldwide. A lot of famous personalities also participated in the challenge, such as Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, Lebron James, and Bill Gates to name a few. This epic campaign immediately turned into a powerful tactic for the ALS Association to further promote their cause and raise funds through donations. The challenge went viral in July and August 2014, using social media as a platform to reach a worldwide audience. More than 17 million people posted their videos online. As a result, the campaign raised more than USD 115 million for the ALS Association. The amount that was raised helped 28% more patients than the usual capacity. Most of the donations were used for research and equipment (power wheelchairs, walkers, shower benches, etc.) for ALS patients. The Association’s clinical network expanded by 50% as a result of the funding from the online campaign. 29 new ALS Certified Treatment Centers of Excellence and 7 new affiliated clinics were built. Notably, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invested approximately USD 416 million for the association-funded researchers since the challenge started. Who would have thought that this epic act of kindness would go viral online and help so many people diagnosed with ALS? Now, a lot more people around the world are also aware of the disease. The keys to success… Famous celebrities and personalities have been a big help for the campaign especially in spreading the word about it and motivating their followers to participate and donate. Social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) have made it easy for the ALS Association to increase awareness, leading to an increase in donations and funds. This shows how powerful social media is in connecting and providing people with an instant means of communication. Campaigns for a cause like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge have proven to be one of the best examples to engage with and reach a bigger audience. Not only do these campaigns help others in need, but it also makes a significant impact in society. An online guerrilla marketing campaign that encourages the participation of the worldwide online community to make a difference has shown how solidarity to do what is right can be achieved. Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerilla Marketing! Do you want to learn about Colgate and Free Sweets! See it on next week’s Gorillas of the Guerilla Marketing!