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 ‘Mo-bro ‘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 “Mo Sistas”) 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.
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
J.J. Chaitanya
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