Skip to main content

Movember: An Internet Marketing marvel

As the month of November comes to a close I can’t help but thinking about the mustache laden past few weeks. Blessed with excellent facial fair (I meant that as a joke) I was no stranger to a mustache back in India but little did I realize then that the very 'mo' I forsook when I came to Canada last year would grace me once again only this time for a cause. 

I was a ā€˜Mo-bro ā€˜last year too but I really had no idea about the far reaching global impacts of the movement. Starting with a modest number of 432 Mo Bros in 2004 the movement has grown exponentially to 255,755 Mo bros and Mo Sistas and over a million donors. While the last years’ campaign generated contributions of over $47 million for the beneficiaries this year’s proceeds are on target to exceed last year’s figures with Canada taking the lead from Australia by almost doubling its last year’s contributions from $7.8 million to $15.2 million.

Even though at the heart of the Movember movement is a cause (prostate cancer) which is affecting one in every six men in Canada the fact can’t be denied that the movement’s current iconic status is due to the effective use of social media channels which have re-iterated how to make a style statement while fighting for a cause (all proceeds from Movember go directly to Prostate Cancer Canada which enables them to fund vital research that will lead to better screening tests and treatment options and to run support services for men surviving prostate cancer)

The Movember Canada Facebook page has more than 20,000 followers where the users can share their 'mo' experiences and photos (they can post the photos on the Movember Facebook page or use Flickr to share how their 'mos' evolved). The Movember followers on Facebook are engaged regularly through several events such as the fake mustache (Movember Griptape) competition below:

Apart from Facebook other social media Channels such Youtube, Twitter and blogs have helped the movement to go Viral and generate a lot of word of mouth publicity.The Youtube videos below not only make a call to action (through archetypes) but also let the Movember followers know that their contributions have made a difference to Cancer Research.


Most marketing communication campaigns do not get their target audience right and make the mistake of targeting only the purchasers and ignoring the influencers who are vital in helping the purchasers make the decision. Women play a great role in motivating men to grow moustaches and acknowledging their role in the movement (as ā€œMo Sistasā€) was a brain wave. Movember also raises a lot of awareness for Breast Cancer by openly acknowledging how women are supporting men in their fight against Prostate Cancer because they themselves were supported first by men in Breast Cancer related movements.

On the whole Movember has set a benchmark for charity movements by utilizing internet marketing and social media channels to not only raise awareness but also more importantly influence the target demographic to make lifestyle changes which are reflective of the campaign.  

Yours Maketably,
Mo Bro,
J.J. Chaitanya



Comments

Popular Posts

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad...

A walk along the Ocean - Stanley Park Seawall

On a bright May afternoon I found myself on the Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver facing the Pacific Ocean . This was the ocean hike that I was most looking forward to. Now before I go any further you might ask me. What is the Seawall? There you go, the picture below should answer your question very well šŸ‘‡ Stanley Park Seawall (Courtesy: Tourism Vancouver) How did I get there?  Simple via public transport ( TransLink ). In front of me was a 10 KM hike right next to the Pacific Ocean and I was grossly unprepared (didn't even have a bottle of water with me). But water or no water I wasn't about to back out from exploring this beautiful waterfront trail . My first pit stop allowed me to take in the sights of Vancouver downtown along with the  docks . Vancouver Downtown Vancouver docks and the Pan Pacific Hotel Pan Pacific Hotel from the top (Courtesy: BC Ferries Vacations) The next sight to behold my attention was the 100 year old Brockton P...

Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of  Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I read Mahabharata ...

Salar Jung Museum

Some roads you choose and some roads choose you. On a rainy Saturday afternoon the road led me to Salar Jung museum , the crown jewel of Hyderabad's vintage glory. The monument (Credits: Wikipedia) I had visited Salar Jung musuem before but I couldn't pass up on the chance to revel in history and marvel at the collection of one Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III . The Man As soon as I entered the main block (the museum has 3 separate blocks) a sense of familiarity guided me through the maze of rooms and I was immediately lost in the lap of history. The only thing missing was a Salar Jung museum app(most museums in the west already have apps) which I could have easily downloaded from the Play Store . The app in turn would have laid out the map of the museum before me, guided me through various rooms and would have also given me an audio commentary for some important exhibits. The technology constraint notwithstanding I spent more than half a day at the museum an...

The Magic of Silence! Quote

Stay Motivated, J.J. Chaitanya