December 1, 2010
Lady Gaga is Dead
Do I have your attention? 
Starting today, big celebrity names including Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Kim Kardashian, and Serena Williams will stage their “digital deaths” as part of the Buy Life effort to raise money and awareness around World Aids Day. They’ll go silent on Twitter and Facebook until $1MM is raised on behalf of Alicia Keys’ charity, Keep a Child Alive.
I’m really excited about this campaign, not only because of the star power, but because of its innovative use of social media and mobile technology. We’re always trying to get celebrities to tweet on behalf of our campaigns, but Buy Life takes it to another level, and withholds the celebrity presence. The “digital deaths” are announced with dramatic images of celebrities lying in coffins as well as “last tweet and testaments” (here’s Ryan Seacrest signing off on YouTube). These tactics will surely drum up buzz among the celebs’ millions of fans, who will in turn be encouraged to buy back the celebs’ digital lives.
Of course, the true purpose of the campaign is not just to get Kim Kardashian or Ryan Seacrest tweeting again. Upon a closer look, Buy Life’s star-studded lineup and “digital death” stunt give voice to the very real message that you can indeed buy life. By making a donation to Keep a Child Alive, you help buy the supplies, medicine, education, and support needed to prolong life and make a difference for the millions who are affected by HIV/AIDS. To this end, Buy Life makes donations easy using the technologies we’re already using, and usually carrying in the palm of our hands.
You can make a donation online at BuyLife.org or via cell phone by texting “BUYLIFE” to 90999. Many are now familiar with the latter form of donating, especially following Haiti earthquake fundraising efforts (per Red Cross, a staggering 3 million plus texted “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10). Although online donating will probably account for a good portion of this campaign’s fundraising, I think many people like me will opt for a quick and easy text message.
Interestingly, the Buy Life campaign also employs a lesser known method of donating via cell phone through the use of barcodes. The barcodes will be featured on campaign materials such as t-shirts and outdoor advertising that can be scanned with smartphone apps WiMo and Stickybits. It sounds like fun, especially if the barcode is on your friend’s t-shirt, but it’s not quite as instant as the text option (you must get the app, input credit card information, etc) and it only works on smartphones. That said, it’s a cool technology and there may be advantages to the barcode method (no $10 maximum donation for example). I’m not totally convinced just yet, but will be keeping tabs on the Buy Life barcode program and any others that give it a try.
Overall, I think Buy Life is a smart and compelling campaign, one that will have social media fanatics, the celeb-obsessed and social marketers talking. It’s already making a splash in the news, and I’m really interested to see how and when they reach their goal. I for one do not think Lady Gaga and her cohorts will be “dead” for long. I’m placing my bet on $1,000,000 in 1 Day. How long do you think it will take to raise a million? Are you donating and if so how did you donate?
Filed under: Campaigns, Communications, Internet, Mobile, Social Media, fundraising
Tags: Campaigns, celebrities, facebook, Mobile Communications, Texting, Twitter, World AIDS Day, YouTube
November 18, 2010
You Can Play a Role in Hunger
Originally published on The Huffington Post on November 17, 2010.
This week, Feeding America launched a new PSA campaign which features prominent actors and actresses in the roles of people whose circumstances recently forced them to turn to our food banks for assistance. Ana Ortiz, of Ugly Betty, took part in the campaign, as Fernanda — a wife and mother whose doesn’t always know how she’ll feed her children.
Every day my husband, daughter and I nourish our bodies with healthy foods without a thought in our minds of where our next meal is coming from. We may not know what that meal will be but there’s no question that it will happen at our house, a friend or family member’s home or a restaurant.
Like most Americans, I was aware that there are people that rely on assistance from food banks, but it was not until I was approached by Feeding America and the Ad Council to participate in a public service announcement that I was able to comprehend who those people are. They are not all homeless, like so many of us believe, they are our friends, neighbors, colleagues and many have families like we do. The only difference is that they struggle with hunger and rely on the kindness of organizations like Feeding America to give them their next meals.
Recently I was privileged to meet Fernanda Uribe, a mother of three with another on the way. As a new mom, I listened with a heavy heart as she told me her story. Her husband, Angel, was a school teacher until his job was affected by the recent budget cuts. To date the Uribe family had never received any type of public assistance and the thought of doing so was difficult for them to accept. They waited it out thinking that their situation was going to get better, but every new job acquired was eventually cut due to the financial crisis. Eventually they swallowed their pride, for the sake of their children, and reached out to their local food bank for assistance. I gradually realized that her story had to be one of many affecting countless families around the United States.
With a sense of empowerment to motivate Americans to get involved in the fight against hunger, Fernanda and I filmed the PSA. For one day I stood in the shoes of so many facing the question, how will I feed my family today?
With an alarming 50 million Americans, 17 million are children, struggling with hunger we all need to support our local food banks. What role will you play? To find your community food bank go to FeedingAmerica.org. Let’s show compassion to those in our communities that need a helping hand.
Filed under: Campaigns, Communications
Tags: Campaigns, celebrities, changing behavior
March 5, 2010
Staking a place in an expanded media landscape
Five leading magazine publishers launched a new campaign this week touting “the power of print.” At a time when most discussion remains focused on the hit-and-miss efforts of print media to adjust itself to the digital age, it feels refreshing to see publishers embrace the innate qualities of their medium.
Yes, the print industry needs to make adjustments to remain viable, however radio didn’t kill newspapers, TV didn’t kill radio, and to date, the Internet has a clean record.
The publishers’ ads reference data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence that show magazine readership has risen 4.3% over the past five years. And I trust this data because I’m living proof.
I’m pretty darn comfortable with technology. I’m of a generation that would rather send a text than make a phone call, and it’s eerie how much I learn via Facebook.
But I LOVE my magazines! I don’t have a stack of books beside my bed; I have old issues of The New Yorker interspersed with ReadyMade and DIY (and a 2008 GQ with my boy Michael Phelps on the cover).
Print has a tangible, tactile and lasting quality that digital media simply does not. And that’s OK, for both mediums.
I like to think this campaign, and other similar efforts from the Newspaper Association of America and a trade group of the local-TV industry, are signaling a shift away from decrying the slow demise of traditional media, and moving forward to embrace their place within a broader media landscape.
We all recognize the greater competition for our attention, but while various media types settle into altered roles, we, as consumers, continue to enjoy the unique benefits of each.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe new media is the death knell of the ‘old?’ Or do you envision a world in which numerous media types will thrive?
Filed under: Media
Tags: celebrities, magazine publishers, Media, Michael Phelps
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