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In terms of marketing ploys, none may be quite as viral in these past few summer months than the "Ice Bucket Challenge" which has swept through social media by storm. The concept, simple: to either donate funds to the ALS Association or douse yourself with a bucket of ice water. And like a chain mail or massive viral text, the challenge has been spread to the corners of the United States.
Initiated by the ALS Association, a non-profit organization that supports awareness and research into Amyotropohic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the organization has picked up momentum and a bank full of funds from the freezing summertime challenge.
Commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects tissues of the peripheral nervous system and the brain. As motor neurons degenerate, patients stricken with ALS lose muscle control and ultimately their lives, as the simple act of breathing or walking becomes an insurmountable challenge.
In hopes of raising awareness to the disease and help raise needed donations for the non-profit, this summer the ALS Association initiated a challenge where viewers could participate and pass the challenge onto others. The phenomenon began quietly, but after seeing involvement of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and that of his celebrity friends, the challenge broke into the mainstream, flooding timelines and Instagram feeds with videos of an all-out ice bucket war.
"Without a doubt, the popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the social media phenomenon that continues to sweep the nation, has encouraged tens of thousands of Americans not only to douse themselves with ice water but also to open their pocketbooks and to donate to the fight against ALS" the ALS Association said in a recent press release.
Creativity and a sense of community in helping out a good cause has projected this creative marketing concept into a profitable adventure for the ALS Association. With celebrity spokespersons and creative videos created by innovators like Bill Gates, who built a machine to dump his bucket of ice water in style, the ALS Association has raised over $10 million in roughly two weeks.
