Cartoon of the Week: What the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Can Teach Us About Content Marketing

By Tate Handy

What can the ice bucket challenge teach us about content marketing? If you have Facebook, watch videos online, or are a citizen of the USA, you’ve heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It’s sweeping the nation and seems to be picking up steam even as people begin to tire of it. It’s been a lot of fun watching friends and celebrities dousing themselves with ice cold water, and there are even some great fail attempts as well, but it is all for a good cause and has raised a lot of money. From a content marketing perspective, this is the big time. A true viral masterpiece gives us a lot to learn from to use for success in our own marketing campaigns. Some keys to a viral success:

  • Content that’s entertaining and maybe even a little bit crazy
  • Content that appeals to both ends of the sad and happy emotional spectrum
  • An easy and highly visible call to action

Having it be for a great cause is just a bonus. If you can get everyday people and celebrities to join in, you can raise a lot of awareness for your cause and in this case get a record breaking amount of donations too. This campaign has brought in 5 times the normal donations during this “viral” period (current stats can be found here). For your own content marketing strategies, use the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to encourage your team to think outside the box. While not every piece of guerilla content marketing will be a viral hit, you never know until you try!