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Pouring cold water on the Ice Bucket Challenge

In recent weeks, people in Singapore have been engaging in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC) that was first started in the United States. Even Minister of State (Trade and Industry) Teo Ser Luck has taken part, along with local personalities such as Rebecca Lim and George Young.

Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva taking on the challenge in Bangkok on Aug 22. Many well-known figures have declined, such as US President Barack Obama. Photo: Reuters

Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva taking on the challenge in Bangkok on Aug 22. Many well-known figures have declined, such as US President Barack Obama. Photo: Reuters

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In recent weeks, people in Singapore have been engaging in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC) that was first started in the United States. Even Minister of State (Trade and Industry) Teo Ser Luck has taken part, along with local personalities such as Rebecca Lim and George Young.

As more jump into the action, we may want to assess what this campaign has achieved and how other organisations can learn from it.

For the uninitiated, ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which was named after the famous baseball player who developed this progressive neuro-degenerative condition, which affected nerve cells in his brain and spinal cord, while in his prime.

The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS patients means their brain’s ability to initiate and control muscle movement is lost.

Patients in the later stages of the condition may become totally paralysed before death. ALS is debilitating and has devastating consequences.

The ALS IBC began on June 30 in the US on an obscure golf channel. Only in mid-July did the event take off when it reached audiences on American national television.

Since then, many celebrities and famous personalities, such as Bill Gates, Justin Bieber and, more recently, Rihanna with her bare midriff, have taken up the challenge.

This is what happens: When you are challenged by someone to take part, you have 24 hours to fulfil the following: Announce that you have accepted the challenge, have a bucket of ice water poured over your head and call out a challenge to others. All these are to be recorded on video in continuous 24-hour footage.

If you decline the challenge, you will have to donate US$100 (S$125) to the ALS charity. You can also opt to donate and take up the challenge.

Several well-known personalities have declined, including US President Barack Obama and United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron.

HAS THE IBC BEEN EFFECTIVE?

To address this question, we need to evaluate the yardsticks we use to measure its success.

If we are looking at the number of participants or people who are aware of the challenge, the figures are indeed staggering.

More than 28 million people have reportedly commented on the challenge on Facebook between June 1 and Aug 17, with more than 2.2 million mentions on Twitter between July 29 and Aug 17. More than 2.4 million videos are on social media. Indeed, the IBC has become a social media success.

Finances-wise, the charity, ALS Association, received US$79.7 million in donations from July 29 to Monday, up from US$2.5 million during the same period last year. It raised US$10 million on Aug 21 alone, while it took the whole of last year to raise US$64 million.

This year, the ALS Association has also recruited more than 1.7 million new donors. By all accounts, the ALS IBC can be viewed as having effectively married social media with a fund-raising cause.

However, are these numbers sufficient as yardsticks?

I wonder how many of our youth who have taken up or watched the challenge know what ALS is, let alone what it stands for.

If we took a straw poll on this, I bet the results will be disappointing.

It seems many are engaging in this challenge because it is the “in” thing, just like planking was not so long ago.

Much like the “selfie” and Twitter phenomena that we see, where the motivation is “look at me”, I wonder how much the participation was motivated primarily by “look at me” and how much was to help the cause.

Even if participation was spurred more by the former, it would still be good if participants learnt more about the disease after accepting the challenge.

Unfortunately, it seems the challenge, rather than the condition, has generated more awareness. Part of the reason is that the event focuses too much on fun.

HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

In addition to merely issuing a challenge to another person, the campaign would have been better served if participants had to relay a brief of what ALS is to those they challenge.

Facts about the disease could have been used to bring forth the gravity of the condition and balance the fun element in the challenge.

The added script should be short and sweet, just as the challenge is. Keeping it concise is necessary for the viral element to take effect.

Criticism that the IBC promotes “slacktivism” — the avoidance of more active and meaningful participation towards the cause — has been levelled against the event.

While the campaign has raised so much money, most of it might have come from the many celebrities who have contributed.

A sceptical person would question how much of the challenge-and-contribute action by celebrities is for self-promotion.

Nonetheless, with the new stash of cash, the follow-up campaign needs to encourage more disease-directed action.

What can other social causes learn from the ALS IBC? First, the bandwagon effect is strong. Once a phenomenon takes off, it spreads very fast, thanks to social media.

Firms have capitalised on this — the Samsung Galaxy S5 took on the IBC to demonstrate its water-proof qualities.

Second, for a fun stunt to catch on, timing is crucial. As the challenge started in June, during the hot, humid summer, the ice water has been welcomed. This encouraged participation.

A challenge must also be simple to execute. Ideally, it should integrate elements associated with the social cause.

For instance, holding a placard stating what ALS stands for or what it does to an individual, while having ice water dumped on oneself, may help people associate the challenge with devastating effects of the disease.

Doing this helps the stunt become more meaningful, rather than being an act of self-glory, engaging both the hearts and minds of participants and viewers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ang Swee Hoon is associate professor of Marketing at the National University of Singapore Business School.

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