The Power of Viral Social Media – It's Chilling!

The Power of Viral Social Media – It’s Chilling!

If you can remember the craze of the Ice Bucket Challenge, then you’ll remember how it stormed over social media and the Internet for a period of time back in summer, 2014 to raise awareness and money for ALS research.

The idea of it was that you sat while someone, usually an excitable family member or friend, poured a large bucket of icy water over your head whilst someone else took a video of it. In the aftermath, the video was posted on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Vine, etc. Then, the most important part, you donated money via text message to help contribute to ALS research.

Despite a level of cynicism, it turns out it actually worked! Scientists have come across a breakthrough discovery funded by the donations of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! A new ALS gene has been identified as a common genetic contributor of the disease, and now drug development is underway.

The campaign not only raised a huge amount of awareness for ALS, but it also managed to raise more than $100 million in the space of 30 days, which is incredible! This huge amount led to a number of research projects being funded, and now, a breakthrough! This just shows the power of social media is unbelievable!

With social media being a huge part of SHINE activity, we love to see how successful a campaign can be. We are always working on social media campaigns for our clients and frequently see improvements in page views, post reach and post engagement through using our creative tactics and diverse marketing ways!

At SHINE, we are always getting involved in various charities, picking a ‘Charity of the Month’ to feature in our newsletter. For the last 7 years we have donated £50 to the chosen Charity of the Month. If you would like to nominate a charity to feature as our Charity of the Month, drop us an email.

For some light entertainment, here is our very own, Ryan, taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge!