What kinds of communications capture attention?
A few weeks back, Pew Internet released their report, Online Video Watching and Downloading. They reported that 7 in 10 American adults have used the internet to watch video, and humorous or comedy videos have surpassed news, educational, and political videos as the most-watched type of video.
What might that mean for nonprofit organizations trying to grow support, raise awareness, increase funding, and inspire their members to take action? Have some fun. Be memorable, catchy, and personal. Take some chances. Don’t be afraid to inject humor (even sarcasm) into your communications. It works!
Check out the employees of Providence St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, who created this Pink Glove Dance video to raise awareness for breast cancer. It’ll leave you smiling; in fact, it’s left a lot of people smiling, surpassing over 10 million views on YouTube. The video featured over 200 hospital employees.
Another fun favorite is from the Sierra Club. Last year, they cleverly promoted their “Sierra Club Trails” online community (and tied in the travails of the South Carolina Governor) with an email to their members entitled, “Help Governor Sanford Find the Appalachian Trail.”
And who knew that warning your Mom about cervical cancer could be humorous? Love this very successful Mother’s Day Cervical Cancer Prevention E-Postcard campaign produced by Pearl of Wisdom. (Thanks to Katya Andresen for flagging this one.)
Invisible Children’s mission is to “use film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore Northern Uganda to peace and prosperity.” Heavy stuff.
Yet look at the video they created at the time of Michael Jackson’s death to draw attention to their cause. And, like “Pink Glove,” they used YouTube’s Call-To-Action overlay to “convert” viewers from watching to taking action.
One more: Advocates for marriage equality for same-sex couples created an award-winning video, “The Blaire Wedding Project: A Horror Film About Marriage Equality.” It’s disarmingly funny, and makes a powerful point in a little over a minute.
Do I have your attention yet?
