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Post by schraderma on Oct 2, 2014 20:27:10 GMT -5
LIVESTRONG is a non profit organization that began in 1997 with the campaign focused around the yellow wrist bands supporting cancer. The goal of the campaign was to raise enough money for families battling cancer to get through it, many supported it before Lance's incident and still do today. Lance Armstrong was the CEO until found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs in in 2013. One of the most well-known non profit organizations in the world took a toll that day. Donations dropped up to 15 million that year and things were not looking as good for the company. With all the drops in funding from supporters, LIVESTRONG had to find a way to keep people supporting the company. As with many other companies, LIVESTRONG started using social media platforms to keep awareness going. After conducting some research on the organization, I believe the best platform they utilize for the is Instagram.
When you first view the Instagram account, you're going to notice a lot of yellow. This is good because it's the dominant color of the company and is so easily recognizable. A company like this doesn't want to make changes to that since it's so well-known. It could easily throw off supporters and some may not even recognize it. Along with posting familiar colors, LIVESTRONG also uses links for viewers to click on that will take them to various donations pages or events that the company is holding. On come of their pictures is a chart, or sometimes on the status, giving examples of what you might help with the different donations. Example being," if you donate $250, you can provide assistance to a client in understanding their cancer diagnosis and treatment options." This is a good thing on multiple levels. They're allowing users to see the different fundraising events LIVESTRONG has going on and also asks people to join. LIVESTRONG doesn't just want other to donate to them either, they do a lot of donating themselves. Some of their posts show various donations they've made. This makes them a more "likable" company, not just one that's going to take all the money from its supporters.
mashable.com/2012/06/29/livestrong-social-media-day/
blog.livestrong.org/2013/06/26/fundraising-through-social-media/
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Post by Niema Eaves on Oct 2, 2014 21:45:30 GMT -5
For me, I like the LIVESTRONG stays within the same color scheme of yellow because this is what makes them distinctive from other organizations. I agree that it is a very dominant color, making it easily recognizable. Would you say there is anything else special about their Instagram or any other social media platform the sets them apart from other organizations? Personally, I like that they post a lot of specific events that occur where people are participating and having fun, all while raising money, spreading awareness and showing support for the cause. Another consistent thing that is done on their Instagram is hash tagging, "#livestrong," and I think that's effective so that anyone can search that and see all these posts. Also, consistency is a good tool to use because people will see that you haven't forgotten the goal.
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Post by morrismd2 on Oct 3, 2014 22:19:44 GMT -5
When Lance Armstrong was found guilty of the doping charges I'm sure everybody thought that the organization was going to go up in flames. I have always been a supporter of the organization and Armstrong because I feel like I can look past his incident with his Tour de France titles that were stripped away. Armstrong is still an amazing person who fought cancer and was strong enough to beat it and inspire others to do the same. Livestrong is a very attractive company as they make quality sports gear and have the well-known Livestrong "band" that really made the organization stand out as athletes everywhere jumped on board with their message.
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Post by Elisabeth Moore on Oct 4, 2014 15:40:05 GMT -5
I agree with you when you stated that "When you first view the Instagram account, you're going to notice a lot of yellow. This is good because it's the dominant color of the company and is so easily recognizable. A company like this doesn't want to make changes to that since it's so well-known. It could easily throw off supporters and some may not even recognize it. Along with posting familiar colors, LIVESTRONG also uses links for viewers to click on that will take them to various donations pages or events that the company is holding". It is a very good idea for a company or a brand to establish a certain color or symbol that distinguishes them- like LiveStrongs signature yellow. I feel as if this makes their brand more well known and more easier to recognize.
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Post by Jeanine Guidry on Oct 5, 2014 1:16:15 GMT -5
I love LiveStrong's Instagram account! How do they handle a bit "older" platforms like Facebook and Twitter?
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Post by kiddjs2 on Oct 5, 2014 18:34:38 GMT -5
I did not realize the whole Lance Armstrong incident did so much damage to the image of the company. I think it is important that they try to bring themselves back and I do believe that social media might be be the best to do so. Smart to notice the use of yellow on their Instagram account. It is almost like they have branded the color yellow.
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Post by danc5311 on Oct 5, 2014 19:07:32 GMT -5
It is hard to dissociate Livestrong from the whole Lance Armstrong thing but it is nice to see that they are using social media effectively. Instagram is a tough medium in which to successful create donations and Livestrong seems to be doing well utilizing it. They definitely needed to readjust their image and focus on the aspects of the organization that have been positive. They do a lot of good for others and it is sad to hear that they suffered so much after the Lance Armstrong scandal. With good public relations they can hopefully get back to the point that they were previously.
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Post by llorynn on Oct 5, 2014 19:17:42 GMT -5
Funny you should mention LIVESTRONG because until I actually asked about the phenomenon that took the world by storm, I had no idea what the bracelets meant or stood for. I remember everybody wanting one when I was younger but we had no clue that they were to raise money for families effected by cancer. I also did not know that after the Lance Armstrong scandal that the organization took such a hit. Even after all this, I think it was a great idea to continue to stick to the signature yellow because people could still recognize the organization that way. Since the organization's setback was so recent, it was also a great idea to accentuate the use of Instagram to the LIVESTRONG organization's advantage, especially since it is one the fastest growing and most popular social media platforms right now. That gave the organization a new edge.
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Post by Alexis Williams on Oct 5, 2014 19:21:29 GMT -5
keeping the Live Stong's color of yellow is a good branding strategy. I remember the Live Strong bracelets and how popular they were. Keeping to what the organization originally stood for and still does is a good marketing technique. I also think them using Instagram is a good way to show people who are getting involved in the cause by running. One thing I also noticed is that they do not have a lot of followers or likes which makes me think that people do not trust the organization or still think it is not still standing. I think an organizations image is a powerful thing and I think it did take a toll on the organizations brand loyalty.
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Post by diegodavenhall on Oct 5, 2014 19:54:17 GMT -5
I was excited to see the concentration on Instagram with this post. Learning about how Instagram is making a rise and learning about the different ways it can contribute to promoting and telling a story has really opened my eyes to this great platform. I really enjoy how you point out the amount of yellow you’ll notice on the page and how it’s a positive thing because it’s a recognizable mark for the company. I like that their page posts a lot on different events and ways you can donate that would differentiate one from another form of donation. Although they use their Instagram to post great visuals and messages, do you think they can as effectively do so on other visual platforms such as Youtube or Pinterest? Personally though i think Instagram is great cause it also markets to a younger audience than some other platforms.
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Post by Bryan Cowles on Oct 5, 2014 19:54:23 GMT -5
Thank you for this post! I have completely forgotten about LIVE STRONG as a campaign. However, I have not forgotten about LIVE STRONG as a movement. Although the promotional aspect of the LIVE STRONG was damaged by Lance Strong's unfortunate enhancement drug use, they have still maintained relevancy due to social media. On Instagram and Facebook and in person, I have seen LIVE STRONG bracelets. Hashtags involving LIVE STRONG continue to grow on. It showcases that despite adversity, as long as the product is worth it, the campaign will speak for it self. So LIVE STRONG, continues to LIVE STRONG.
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Post by shaniqueyates on Oct 5, 2014 21:50:02 GMT -5
I agree with Bryan I had almost forgot about this organization. I can remember buying a Livestrong bracelet back in middle school. This campaign was extremely effective because everyone loved the bracelets and this particular campaign caught the attention of many of people across the nation. Now that social media is extremely common amongst today's generation when they see the hash tag #livestrong they will immediately remember Lance Armstrong and his reasoning for starting this organization. I am happy to see organizations like this change with the times to keep their relevancy in the world and to remind people the good that they are bringing upon the world as we know it today.
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Post by kaurm23 on Oct 5, 2014 22:36:54 GMT -5
This is a great blog post! I, like majority of the people above, also didn't know that when Lance had that incident the company took a really big toll. Having those livestrong bracelets was honestly the coolest thing one could've had back in the day. That was their strategy of getting the word out since technology wasn't exactly on the breach. Livestrong is definitely still a big deal despite what has happened in the past. They still have many advertisements going on all around. They still carry the concept very far I think.
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