Is a marketing campaign's success going to attain it's goals or be met with opposition? I think it depends greatly on the campaign's goals and how people see the campaign being run. With much popularity you adversely gain a scrutinizing and watchful eye over your actions. So, from the base of everything, you really need to run a transparent and straightforward campaign. Kony 2012 is a fantastic example of what I'm talking about.
Kony 2012 alone is an example for us all to appreciate. It reflects the very thing we're in class learning about. Using social media to our advantage to raise awareness on topics that we are passionate about. What an amazing success it has become. It was nearly overnight that the world went from knowing nothing about Joseph Kony to understanding that he is a murderous criminal and a threat to humanity.
If for some reason you were under a rock when the global PSA for Kony 2012 went out, here's a link to the half-hour video that everyone and their future unborn children have seen. The video is engaging and shocking. It's personable and appeals to a very wide audience. I'm honestly a little amazed that they made a video that people are willing to watch for a half hour when you consider just how "ADD" our society can be. After watching it, you feel pumped up to spread the word. It's easy, post a link on facebook. Tell friends. Order a $30 package if you're really proactive.
Alright, quick do a google search and look into this organization. You start to find out an alarming amount of people discrediting Invisible Children.
"Invisible Children has been condemned time and time again. Last year, the organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services."- Sabotage Times
(Oh boy, now I have to look into how credible this source is...)
"I think what needs to be stated is that a lot of what their actual operations are, are doing awareness and fundraising in the United States which involved road shows, going around to show their films on university campuses and things like that. And they're really good at it. And you can see their success with the social marketing. They are really, really good at generating awareness."
- NPR
This is a source I trust. I was considering just how much it costed for a viral video of this quality would cost. It involves some well known celebrities even.
Alright, enough about their funding (which is obviously in some way prolific to me). What will Invisible Children's Kony 2012 campaign accomplish? If Kony is caught, then what? Invisible Children doesn't address these problems and the reality is that the Ugandan militia itself is just as corrupted as the rebel LRA.
"Incredibly, there is no mention in the film or the campaign that northern Ugandans are currently enjoying the longest period of peace since the conflict began in 1986. Virtually every single northern Ugandan I spoke to during my own field research believes that there is peace in the region. While sporadic violence continues, particularly as a result of bitter land disputes, there have been no LRA attacks in years. In the mid 2000s, the ‘LRA problem’ was exported out of Uganda. The LRA is currently residing in the DRC, CAR, and perhaps parts of South Sudan and even Darfur. Today, land issues and the recent Walk to Work crisis are higher on the agenda than the LRA in northern Uganda."-Justice in Conflict
Great, so Invisible Children is stirring up a place that has been settled for quite a few years? What about all the mayhem I've been hearing about in the news lately over Syria? The govt there is bombarding its own people. I'm constantly hearing about debates over whether or not the United States should get involved with a place like that. Will it cause us further turmoil in the future to stick our military there? What should we do about that?
So there you have it, people. What will it take to move people into action? Will it take a million dollar campaign, heart strings pulled, and an overall popularity contest to move people into action? Hell, there's a completely separate set of rants we can go forth into discussing whether clicking "like" on facebook by enough people will cause any action in the first place.
Great! Thank you for your sources to show us more details about Invisible Children. However, we are MDST 485 students. We will keep continually watching what is going on next!Kony is famous now. I am the one to click LIKE and SHARE the video. I don't donate yet. I will find out the truth before make my decision.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I am really glad you put in the effort to check out this organization. A couple things worth considering:
ReplyDelete1. Did you know that oil was recently discovered in Uganda, and a deal was signed with a company that will partner with French Total and China's CNOOC to deliver the oil? You can read a bit more here: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/africa/uganda-news-tullow-oil-invests-uganda-oil-industry. Sorry, I can't do a hyperlink in a comment.
2. Did you know that the U.S. sent about 100 military advisers to Uganda last October supposedly to help track down Kony? Despite the fact that Kony and his crew are now dispersed in South Sudan and the DRC. Google it...
3. I understand the LRA is now down to "a few hundred" people. I could be wrong about that, but that's what I hear. If that's the case, then us sending 100 "advisers" to track down a few hundred person crew of guerillas seems a little suspicious.
4. On the flip side, you should check out their form 990 on their website (if you're really interested). They got 2 million from Oprah last year, and another 333,000 from the Humanity United Foundation. They definitely have the backing of some powerful interests (and I mean that positively).
I'm not saying there's not value in the project and what they have done. Clearly awareness was raised and people are motivated to take action, and this is an excellent advocacy project. But...we don't take anything in communication, and especially social media, at face value.
I still haven't watched the clip, although someone sent me a FB invite to watch and I can't seem to escape discussions about Kony2012. I'm embarrassed that I know so little about the conflict, the LRA, and cultural and political issues of all the African nations. (Really sad how we Americans are only taught about Western European and US history in public schools; no wonder we're falling behind!)
ReplyDeleteWhat seems to come up here at home is indeed the sudden popularity of Invisible Children and how they managed to bring attention to an issue that's been ignored by the West for so long. It's not like the displaced people haven't tried to garner support to their plight, so why now? As my wife pointed out, what's troubling is that in their financial statement Invisible Children receive most of their money as unrestricted funds, while NPO's tend to receive restricted funding that locks them into pursuing certain programs. Personally, I like what IC is doing because while it's not going to magically solve problems, thanks to their viral film we're actually listening; what needs to happen now is action.
As Andrew pointed out above, since Kony and his cronies (like that?) have fled to the Congo, shouldn't we, in an international joint effort, shift our focus there? And how do we help Uganda get on the right track to self-governance without pulling another one of our (in)famous political interference setups that have resulted in HUGE problems throughout the developing world?
Another blog post to check out on the subject by Ben Affleck on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-affleck/kony-congo_b_1344323.html. Surprising action and insight by someone who's apparently not just a Hollywood pretty-boy.