Post by bsingletary on Oct 2, 2014 15:47:40 GMT -5
WATERisLIFE is a non-profit organization addressing the global crisis from the lack of drinkable water around the world. While we are here in America enjoying the luxury of easily accessible clean water, many developing countries around the world unfortunately can’t say the same. The organization focuses on promoting clean water, good sanitation and hygiene practices, and the transformation of some of the poorest communities. According to studies done by WATERisLIFE and UNICEF, unsafe drinking water is one of the largest causes of illness around the globe, killing about 6,500 people per day. Amongst some of these countries dealing with this life threatening issue is Haiti, the poorest nation in Western Hemisphere.
The commonly used hashtag “#firstworldproblems”, has become a satirical remark showing the superficiality of people who complain about miniscule issues they encounter day to day. WATERisLIFE saw this hashtag as an opportunity to not only challenge the stereotypes of the American culture that has caused this rather trivial to go viral, but also raise awareness of the real problems being faced by these individuals that life in poverty in nations such as Haiti. The campaign was launched through a Youtube video entitled “First World Problems Anthem” youtu.be/fxyhfiCO_XQ. The video showed different Haitians reading tweets with #firstworldproblems as they were in their homes and communities. Like many of the other visual platforms, videos on Youtube allow for longer spans of time more footage. The video speaks to the emotional appeal of the visual aspect of the campaign as it shows the contradiction between these “complaints” posted to twitter and the actual environment in which these individuals live day in and day out. Currently the video has had over 6,451,049 views and 1,139 comments, with mainly supporters of the cause. Though, some people do criticize the organization for missing the intended use of the hashtag as a way of reminding users that the problems they face really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Unlike many other visual social media campaigns, this organization maximized on flipping a hashtag that may be comical in our culture but seen as a ungrateful in the eyes of others. Though this non-profit isn’t the sole creator it used something that already existed and tweaked to cater to their target audience through. The campaign has been named the “Hashtag Killer” as it completely changed the tone of the overall hashtag and the message it was attempting to portray. This was a great source of engagement, since the hashtag was already recognized it was able to a wider audience. I think the campaign could’ve definitely done more to not only use the guilt trip its audience into donating to their cause, but also to educate the public on the issues being faced by the poorest of those who don’t have access to safe water resources.
www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/tech/ad-campaign-twist/
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/09/firstworldproblems-ad-campaign-new-ground
The commonly used hashtag “#firstworldproblems”, has become a satirical remark showing the superficiality of people who complain about miniscule issues they encounter day to day. WATERisLIFE saw this hashtag as an opportunity to not only challenge the stereotypes of the American culture that has caused this rather trivial to go viral, but also raise awareness of the real problems being faced by these individuals that life in poverty in nations such as Haiti. The campaign was launched through a Youtube video entitled “First World Problems Anthem” youtu.be/fxyhfiCO_XQ. The video showed different Haitians reading tweets with #firstworldproblems as they were in their homes and communities. Like many of the other visual platforms, videos on Youtube allow for longer spans of time more footage. The video speaks to the emotional appeal of the visual aspect of the campaign as it shows the contradiction between these “complaints” posted to twitter and the actual environment in which these individuals live day in and day out. Currently the video has had over 6,451,049 views and 1,139 comments, with mainly supporters of the cause. Though, some people do criticize the organization for missing the intended use of the hashtag as a way of reminding users that the problems they face really mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Unlike many other visual social media campaigns, this organization maximized on flipping a hashtag that may be comical in our culture but seen as a ungrateful in the eyes of others. Though this non-profit isn’t the sole creator it used something that already existed and tweaked to cater to their target audience through. The campaign has been named the “Hashtag Killer” as it completely changed the tone of the overall hashtag and the message it was attempting to portray. This was a great source of engagement, since the hashtag was already recognized it was able to a wider audience. I think the campaign could’ve definitely done more to not only use the guilt trip its audience into donating to their cause, but also to educate the public on the issues being faced by the poorest of those who don’t have access to safe water resources.
www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/tech/ad-campaign-twist/
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/09/firstworldproblems-ad-campaign-new-ground
