1. Ice Bucket Challenge
17 million videos created; 70 billion video views; 159 countries participated
No one seemed to talk about ALS until the Ice Bucket Challenge was launched on Facebook. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The metrics for the success of the campaign is on a global scale, as it involves millions of videos from different individuals all over the world. Since it went viral on such a massive scale, it would be impossible to gather all of the accumulated reactions, comments, and shares of the 17 million videos created. Needless to say, there were a LOT!
The campaign was started by patients Pete Frates, Pat Quinn, and Anthony Senerchia, along with their families. The challenge spread like wildfire, with people tagging their friends to do the same. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg even participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Other celebrities who supported the cause included Oprah, Bill Gates, and LeBron James. The goal was simple—do the challenge and donate to ALS research. Up to now, there is still no cure to what is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The organic ad campaign raised $220 million for ALS and awareness of the disease increased exponentially. The Ice Bucket Challenge is your textbook on how to make a viral campaign without spending. Building on its success, the ALS Association has made August the Ice Bucket Challenge month to continue its research funding and further increase awareness of the disease.
These 5 most popular Facebook ads show that when you have a good cause you can reach out to a lot of people. Users are already drowning in daily ads and truth be told, they don’t need another one. In order to get their attention you need to speak to their humanity the way these ads did. When people begin to think outside of themselves, that’s when they’re prompted to act, and ultimately, that’s what moves them to engage with your brand.
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