Still Care About KONY?

If you take search volume for "kony", "kony 2012", "joseph kony" and "invisible children" as a measure of the general interest in Kony, then the answer is NO. Worldwide interest in Kony has pretty much dropped back to the levels it was prior to the launch of the KONY 2012 video on March 5th.

It's not to say the KONY 2012 campaign wasn't effective. The 30-minute KONY 2012 video has generated over 86 million views on YouTube and 17.8 million on Vimeo to-date. The question for any digital campaign is how do you sustain that interest beyond a week after you launch? A reason for the quick decline and abandonment of the Kony cause is what critics call 'slacktivism', asking people to do very little to do good. As easy as it is to share the video on your Facebook newsfeed is as easy it is to forget about the video.

Kony 2012 successfully created mass awareness of the issue, which was the primary objective of the video but whether it is effective at activating the 100+ million video viewers to do more such as put up posters, tweet celebrities and write to congress maybe a different story. The lesson and challenge for brands is to create 'sustainable' campaigns whether through apps that provide repeat utility or an evergreen social editorial calendar--being able to maintain and keep interest and engagement with fans should always be a priority for any campaign. If it isn't then why spend millions of dollars on a campaign to begin with?

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

I'm Getting Tattooed For Good!

Just kidding, I'm only getting a temporary tattoo but the "good" part is true! Last night, I attended the launch party for my friend Robyn's and her friend Lauren's charitable fundraiser called The Temporary Tattoo Project, where they commissioned 6 tattoo artists to design temporary tattoos inspired by 6 orphaned Kenyan children who the proceeds will go to. The organization that The Temporary Tattoo Project is supporting is called Flying Kites.

I'm such a fan of Robyn and Lauren's dedication to this project and am inspired by their creativity and intelligence. The tattoos are $12 each and you can purchase all 6 for $50.**Update: The tattoos range in prices depending on size of tattoo, see pricing list below. It's not a steep price considering you'll be improving a kid's life in Africa and will look really badass while doing it (consider going with a sleeve?). You can buy the tattoos this weekend at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene on Saturday and at Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg on Sunday. Everyone should stop by and get one or all!

I chose tattoo artist Robert Bonhomme's lotus flower which supports Miriam of Flying Kites. All the tattoos come in a beautiful envelope with a keepsake card so even when the tattoo fades you can remember the child you supported. I'm wearing my flower tomorrow so I may have to get more this weekend. You can view all 6 designs on their Facebook page here, Facebook.com/TheTemporaryTattooProject

I wish Robyn and Lauren the best of luck, but my hunch is they won't need it since a brilliant idea always sells itself.

It's a Small World, Help Japan

Photo from NY Times

Living half way around the world in New York, it is easy to go out about our daily routines answering emails, sending text messages and checking Facebook updates, but thankfully, the internet and social networks make it very hard to forget the tragic disaster that shook Northern Japan. As the world gets smaller and smaller due to our ability to share online, our hearts should be as large as ever and willing to give back to those in need around the world. I am really proud of Vivaki the digital holding company I work for who will be matching employee donations up to $50K, of Red Cross' Twitter promoted trend #helpjapan raising awareness of the relief effort and of W+K's subtly powerful poster that will surely encourage people to donate. Many other media companies, artists and business are finding simple and innovative ways to help Japan.

W+K Studio's Japan Relief Poster 

Lady Gaga's "little monsters" can buy wristbands, all proceeds go to Japan relief efforts 

SXSW is leveraging the large tech/digital influence of its attendees to raise money

AlohaForJapan.com is selling specially designed T-shirts and all proceeds go to the Red Cross. The shirts are currently sold out online but should be back up soon.

In the end, the way or form that you donate should not matter, JUST THAT YOU DO. I have yet to visit Japan, but I did have a Japanese foreign exchange student Yasuko stay with me in middle school and have met countless compassionate Japanese people in my lifetime. They are gracious and polite people who have a great influence on fashion, technology, design and cuisine. This could happen to any country and anyone, so I ask that you spare what you can to help Japan.

When Digital Does Good Good--WWF, Chrome For A Cause, NogPong

In the past few years, I have seen many corporate-sponsored, large scale digital charity campaigns like American Express' Members Project and Pepsi Refresh--all which follow a submission, vote and select format which may feel like it's months before any positive change occurs; however, recently, WWF, Google Chrome and Saatchi & Saatchi LA have created some unique and simple ways to digitally "do good" (seemingly) very quickly.  These ideas are a response to people's need to feel like they ACTUALLY can make a difference in the world INSTANTLY.  No registering, voting, submitting or writing, simply with a save, ctrl+T or click--we can all feel like we've made the world a better place.

I really recommend checking out Chrome For A Cause and NogPong since those will end soon.

1) Save as a WWF, a neat way to actually save trees by not allowing people to print their docs

2) Chrome For A Cause, With every tab you open in your Google Chrome browser from today until December 19th you could donate water, books, shelter, vaccinations or trees.  I've already gone psycho on the apple+Ts and currently have 15 tabs open, but guess what?  I just helped provide 6 persons' worth of clean water.  I am hoping Google will share the results of this project in a colorful trend graph and YouTube videos of the donations.

3) NogPong, this one is actually fun which makes it even more awesome.  Saatchi & Saatchi LA created a site that streams live video of Saatchi workers responding to real-time pong throws into cups of eggnog.  Anyone with an internet connection can take a shot simply by clicking (you're able to adjust the aim and strength of the throw).  The charity portion is that with every cup made they will donate to selected charities.  NogPong was definitely made with the user experience in mind--engagement rates must be out the roof.  Good job @SaatchiLA!

What I love best about all three of these ideas is that it started with a natural consumer action e.g. saving a file, opening a tab, throwing a pong ball and tailored it to be relevant to the organization, company or agency i.e. file type = "WWF", tabs <3 browsers and Chrome is a browser, and agency holiday office parties are just fun!  Plus all sites were fully equipped with Facebook and Twitter sharing functionality.

Stuff like this makes me very happy because it reassures me that humanity and this industry is still very clever and that digital is progressing in a positive direction.

Skateistan: Bringing Skateboarding to Afghanistan

Here is an image of skateboarding you don't see very often: a non-profit organization in the Middle East helping to inspire the Youth through skateboarding.  Watch Director Orlando Von Einsiedel's beautifully shot 9 minute video "Skateistan" about the Youth in Kabul and what skateboarding means to them.

Photo and video is from the Skateistan website, check it out to learn more about the organization and how you can volunteer!