Question

Please share your favorite viral video brand message. Indicate why you feel that this campaign went viral. Did this have a positive or negative effect on the value of the brand?

Answer 1

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge started in 2014, which was an online effort to raise awareness for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease and to raise funds. The campaign was able to raise $115 million in a span of just eight weeks! The challenge for people was to pour a bucket of ice-cold water over their head and challenge minimum three people to do the same and make a donation to The ALS Association.

The reason which can be sourced for the viral outreach of this can be:

> Before the challenge, ALS was known to much fewer people. But things changed after the challenge, and it was everywhere on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, news, events, etc. The reason was the visibility created by the campaign.

>Ice Bucket Challenge only asked participants to pour a bucket of ice-cold water and donate. The objective was kept simple and clear, and challengers were not required to put in much effort.

>The challenge was for a limited time and created a sense of urgency. Participants had 24 hours to accept and complete the challenge. This was the reason why the campaign spread quickly and widely.

>The participants were asked to challenge minimum three persons to take the Ice Bucket Challenge. This was one of the reasons why campaign became viral. If one person tells three other people about the challenge, and those three tell the other three, a viral loop is created.

>By attracting celebrities in the challenge, the campaign was widespread as their followers joined in too, leading to worldwide coverage.

This campaign definitely boosted the value of the ALS brand. It can be traced by the fact that  campaign went viral with over 17 million people participating in the challenge worldwide. Many celebrities including Bill Gates, George W. Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Mark Zuckerberg, Rihanna, Tim Cook, Rafael Nadal, and Cristiano Ronaldo took part in the challenge.