#BeatCancer

November 5, 2009 mgoldshine
Tags: beat cancer, breast cancer, breast cancer awareness month, cancer awareness, daughter, friend, mom, sister

It was only a matter of time before the fight against cancer took to the realm of social media.

Everywhere, a social media communications and content company, launched the #BeatCancer campaign at the beginning of October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

#BeatCancer was designed as a social media experiment to combine the popularity of social media sites with fighting cancer. #BeatCancer was the brainchild of Everywhere’s managing partner Tamara Knechtel.

“If Ashton Kutcher could get a million followers, couldn’t we take on a social cause through social media? My business partners who’ve watched as I’ve struggled with cancer suggested we try to beat cancer through social media. Thus #BeatCancer was born.”

The idea evolved into a competition to break the Guinness World Record for the largest distribution of mass message through social media. The guidelines were as follows: “In a 24-hour period of time starting Friday, October 16th at 9 am (PDT) and lasting until Saturday, October 17th at 9am (PDT) people all over the internet stratosphere will be asked to send tweets and Facebook status updates and to blog using #BeatCancer in their posts.”

Ebay/Paypal and MillerCoors Brewing Company agreed to donate a penny for every Tweet, Facebook update or blog post that included the phrase #BeatCancer. At the close of competition, #BeatCancer had been mentioned 667,061 times over the various social media sites, setting the new Guinness World Record and raising over $70,000 for Stand Up To Cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Bright Pink, and Spirit Jump, all charities benefiting cancer research.

This experiment really took into account the influence social media sites having on communicating for a cause. Instead of using Facebook or Twitter just for personal social use, it shed light on the sheer power these tools can also have in terms of non-profit exposure. With the help of web design and public relations firms, the experiment’s official website www.beatcancereverywhere.com showcased what people were saying about #BeatCancer in real time.

The following video serves as another example of how non profits are embracing social media.

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized

Trackback this post  |  Subscribe to comments via RSS Feed