This article is about Kony 2012. In doing so, I’m doing my part to make
him famous.
Whether you donate or not, whether
you think is a scam or not, you now know who Joseph Kony is. Even if you didn’t
watch the video you’ve seen the posters or even the “memes”. The idea behind
the campaign was to make Kony famous so awareness could be raised of his
actions and lead to his incarceration, and so they did. All through the use of
a viral video, and millions of people around the world. The question is, how did
this video went viral so quickly? And, what was the planning behind it?
Sometimes the success of a video is
mainly because it’s funny, disgusting, short, or mindless; and many times, all
of them together. So, what makes a thirty-minute video so popular? The very
first second of the video can tell you why. It’s the planning behind it. That
first line says: “Nothing is more powerful than an idea”. The Kony 2012 video,
besides being a well produced one, is a call for a movement.
It starts by stating the problem, it continues with a compelling story the viewers can relate to, and finally it gives easy
ways to help out without leaving your
comfort zone. Now, Invisible Children (the organization behind the video) knew
that this wasn’t enough to get massive attention. So the branding began.
The way to make a movement massive
is to make a brand out of it.
Feminists, Nazis, and Occupy Wall Street, more recently, all share this
quality. William Yardley states in his article The Branding Of The Occupy Movement for the New York Times, that
the Occupy Movement branding started with Kalle Lasn, a Twitter hashtag
#occupywallstreet and a simple poster. Lasn is the editor of the anticonsumerist magazine Adbusters.
Yardley says, “For
some people they were just words and images. For Mr. Lasn, they were tools to
begin remodeling the “mental environment,” to create a new “meme”.” This
is exactly the trend that Invisible Children took notice of and wanted to accomplish
with Kony 2012. The creation of the poster (to the left), making their own video
instead of seeking attention from the news and entering with a such a bold
statement, “Let’s make Joseph Kony famous” quickly caught the attention of young
Internet navigators. Getting most views from mobile devices than any other
source/site. 
The team did plenty of outreach to its followers, calling on them to
show support by sharing the video on social media and posting a banner on their
own Facebook and Tumblr pages. The video accumulated more views from Facebook,
than Youtube itself. This show the power of the “digital-word-of-mouth”. The
next step in the plan, which the video itself states, was to target US “culture
makers”. It targeted political figures that could make the arrangements and celebrities
that could influence public opinion. And that’s when things got interesting. As
soon as Rihanna, Diddy, Oprah, Bieber, and other celebrities that’s when views
skyrocketed and support became evident. Third party endorsements always add
value to a brand (or a cause).
So even if you think the movement is a scam and choose not to
support it, you still know what it is. You recognize the symbols, you even get
the meme jokes. All this is possible to a good strategic branding plan behind
the movement. Kony 2012 may or may not accomplish its ultimate goal of incarcerating
Joseph Kony, but it definitely made him famous.
Sources:
- Yardley W. (November 27, 2011). The Branding of the Occupy Movement. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/business/media/the-branding-of-the-occupy-movement.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
- Daye D. (February 27, 2012). Launching a Brand Movement. the Blake Project. Retieved from: http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2012/02/launching-a-brand-movement.html
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