Brandsplat

hello@brandsplat.com | (800) 299-5498
Ghost Written Content In the Voice of Your Brand

  • Home
  • Estimates
  • Content
  • Clients
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • BEX Analytics

November 30, 2010 By Brandsplat 1 Comment

The Twitter Cause Celebre: Raising Awareness or Self-Congratulatory Hooey?

Follow Us

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Google+

The Twitter Cause Celebre: Raising Awareness or Self-Congratulatory Hooey?
It’s hard not to roll your eyes when reading about the latest social media campaign ignited to raise awareness. Sure, Facebook fans can get Betty White on Saturday Night Live. But have subsequent social media movements addressing issues like bullying, domestic violence and breast cancer actually made a difference? Most likely, social media campaigns teeter between being the Internet equivalent of the Pet Rock and today’s version of Live Aid because of the sheer lightness of social media. Take this celebrity-fueled endeavor in honor of World AIDS Day for example.

Digital Life Sacrifice benefits Alicia Keys’ Keep A Child Alive AIDS charity by enlisting celebrities and their social media followers. For as long as it takes to raise $1 million dollars, stars like Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Usher and Justin Timberlake will remain silent on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. While many people would pay to keep celebrities off of social media, the point here is to enlist fans and followers to fork over cash to Keys’ foundation, which goes towards the treatment for children with HIV/AIDS in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa. There’s no arguing that this is a noble cause, but when we peel back the layers of campaigns like this one, we see a naiveté and egoism which can thwart the message of such efforts.

Social media fundraising and awareness raising campaigns need clear-cut goals other than hocking t-shirts and showing that celebrities are good people, too. As some have pointed out already, the goals of Keep A Child Alive are fuzzy at best – but that’s not to say Keys is the first star whose pet project fails to drive a message home. For example, how many “No H8” photo shoots have we seen stars take part in while the cause behind it still goes largely ignored? These social media campaigns have put the stars involved in them in the headlines, but at the end of the day, little impact is felt. That being said, Keys deserves recognition for tying in our celebrity obsession with fundraising. How powerful a star’s group of social media followers truly is will be tested with Digital Life Sacrifice.

But let’s hear from you. Do Twitter-launched campaigns raise awareness or are they just good PR?

Filed Under: Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed

Trackbacks

  1. » Our Five Things You Might Have Missed List - ibrandcasting.com says:
    December 3, 2010 at 9:02 am

    […] Agony of No Tweet: We had our doubts about the Digital Death Campaign launched by Alicia Keys and other celebs in honor of World AIDS […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BRANDSPLAT creates articles, blogs, social media, and all written content in the voice of your brand. Our clients include entrepreneurs, personalities, mid-size companies, and some of the world's biggest brands.

Get our free Brandsplat Report.






    Search

    Categories

    • Analytics
    • Article Marketing
    • Blog Content Management
    • Blog Marketing
    • Brand Engagement
    • Brandcasting
    • Brandsplat Video Report
    • Business Development
    • Digital Engagement
    • Email Marketing
    • Facebook Management
    • Facebook Marketing
    • Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • General
    • Mobile Marketing
    • News
    • Online Brand Management
    • Online Marketing
    • Online video creation
    • Search Engine Marketing
    • SEO
    • Social Media Management
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Twitter Management
    • Twitter Marketing
    • Video Content
    • Viral Marketing
    • Weekly Five Things You Might Have Missed
    • Weekly Video Report

    Calendar

    • ► 2020
      • September
    • ► 2019
      • April
      • March
      • February
    • ► 2014
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2013
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2012
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2011
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ▼ 2010
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • ► 2009
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May

    Odds & Ends

    Guest Blogging Guidelines
    The Brandsplat Report
    Articles

    The Brandsplat Report

    A free monthly video with news and information about online strategy, marketing, and content.

    Search

    Home
    Content
    Clients
    Sitemap
    About
    Articles
    Brandsplat Report
    BEX Analytics
    (800) 299-5498
    hello@brandsplat.com
    Email
    http://twitter.com/@brandsplat
    http://linkedin.com/company/brandsplat
    http://brandsplat.com/videos/
    Copyright © 2019 Brandsplat | All rights reserved.