Jail4Bail - Measuring the Power of Social Media

by Kelly Wheeler

The syndrome of Autism is one that is often misunderstood and children at each end of the spectrum are often written off as incurable. The truth is that many Autistic children are in fact incredibly loving and with intensive treatment, can become fully functioning members of society. What is needed is more research and the funding to support those dedicated practitioners who can bring these children back to their parents and the real world.

With that little lecture over, you may be wondering what this has to do with an eMarketing blog. Recently, Gerhard Pieterse, a parent of an Autistic child and head of Autism Western Cape, locked himself in a jail cell in Canal Walk shopping centre to raise R1 million for autistic initiatives. This somewhat unique fundraising event did little to capture imagination, with offline press releases and conventional media relied upon to spread the message. Over halfway through the campaign, less than half the targeted money had been raised, until the social media experts moved in – and that’s where it gets interesting for us in the online world.

Led in part by the well-connected Rafiq Phillips, a former QuirkStar himself, Jail4Bail’s online presence was sent into overdrive with Twitter messages, Zoopy and YouTube videos and even an Afrigator page to track mentions of the campaign. We are also sponsoring a free BrandsEye account so he can make the most of his online interactions. Thanks to Rafiq’s vast friend network on Twitter coupled with the worthwhile nature of the cause, the news of the campaign soon spread, much faster than it ever could have by conventional methods.

Why Did Social Media Make Such a Difference?

With social media people can engage with Gerhard and the cause of Autism, feeling a part of the conversation and not simply bystanders expected to donate and move on. And people are engaging, in his short time on Twitter Gerhard and Jail4Bail has over 60 followers. Quite impressive when you consider someone like Rafiq, a veteran Twitter-er has just over 700. It is simply easier to get involved in a cause if it is a part of your everyday (online) life as opposed to some distant idea in a far away Cape Town mall.

With Social Media Comes Even Harsher Critics

However, the power of social media is also a double-edged sword and Jail4Bail has not come out completely unscathed. As many supporters as social media can draw you, rest assured that there will be as many critics. Many people have objected to the image that the campaign is suggesting - that Autistic people and their families are somehow prisoners of their own situations.

Harsh blog posts and Twitter responses have also flooded the web, but this has also contributed to the online discussion only becoming more frenzied, making more and more people aware of Autism – which was part of the campaign’s aim. The use of social media also allows Gerhard and Autism Western Cape to answer their critics, creating a transparent campaign that can only attract more people and do more good in the long run.

Overall – Success or Failure?

The campaign is due to end soon at the end of August and only then will the most interesting statistics come out. The social media aspects of the campaign took over almost exactly half way through, meaning that the event can almost be judged in two halves – a social media before and after if you will.

A sizeable Belgian donation has already been received that would never have happened without the campaign’s renewed online presence, meaning that looking at the money raised in the two halves of the campaign should make for some interesting analyses and conclusions. The involvement of many companies, people and fundraisers can already be attributed directly to Rafiq and the efforts of the social media gurus, but only if a sizeable monetary difference can be found, will social media receive the credit that it deserves, regardless of how many more “Autism” searches Google has received in the last two weeks.

Although for me – the success of the campaign is summed up beautifully by dear Wesley B below. If some are sick of it, then it has reached enough people to maybe finally make a difference!

2008/08/28 | permalink | comments (2) | trackbacks (0)

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Recent Comments

Kat on Engaging as a Company

I agree with you. There are some things that should ideally not be discussed by an employee in the public sphere.
Would a communications policy have stopped the said journo from speaking out? He/she must have known a huge risk was being taken? I suppose it's also an incredibly difficult thing to predict. The lack of control can be alarming.
I'm definitely interested in seeing a more specific list, so if you find it do share.
Thank you for your comments :). Here's hoping there's a good coffee shop close to you..
vincent on Engaging as a Company

I guess the mark of a well crafted brand starts at HR policy for new recruits - ensuring that they fit the brand's/corporate's persona. So in that sense yes you could argue that left to their own devices employees would, regardless of an online communications policy, communicate in a style the sponsor would approve of. Not sure if that's always the case but I'm inclined to agree with this generalization.
I think what is also important is that the individual writing within the bounds of a sponsor's site does so in a restricted locale. You can police your own domain if you're a corporate, you can't necessarily control the individuals mouth outside of it. For instance on twitter, personal blogs and forums. Owing to the nature of niche stardom you could argue that the employee comes to represent the brand, more so than that personifies the brand in organic conversation with consumers and would carry significant weight both within corporate sites and externally. Making some individuals very wary to write for their companies at all.
For instance in our not too distant past a prominent journo got the boot for publishing his gripes with his employers and their professional ability - he was promptly fired...He would no doubt have been policed on a company blog but owing to the fact that he chose to represent the company elsewhere he took his brand and the papers brand with him - dragging both through the mud as traipsed on towards epic-failuredom...
So to come back to a point, there is definitely a sense that the policies as listed above are quite ambiguous. Even you yourself suggest that requisite legalese is absent, and I have to assume that such legalese would include a fairly long list of do's and dont's. I have a list somewhere laying about which dictates in a very bland corporate fashion how to represent the brand in public - if I find it I will share it with you.
Perhaps its worthwhile to enforce points like "don't tell secrets" and my own favourite, "for the love of god don't gripe about the boss who you've publicly named online"...
That's my mental-riff for the day, I'm afraid I veered rather uncharitably off course but such is the nature of thought.
Now if only the company I worked for had some decent coffee!!
Kat on Engaging as a Company

Transparency is a key issue - as is allowing people to carve their own niche.
My thinking is that people engage with a personality - an individual personality - in conversation more than with a collective. It's just easier. A company personality surely reflects the people who work there as well as a crafted (constructed?) image that the stakeholders choose to present. While you want engagement it's not the same as speaking to an individual.
There are definite risks involved - but I would lean towards allowing people to carve a niche.
vincent on Engaging as a Company

Couldn't have said it better. Nice post, it is most certainly something corporates are going to struggle with. How much transparency is too much? Who should be allowed to represent a brand and to what extent should the individual be given the opportunity to carve their own niche rather than extol the virtues of the mother - brand?
Who knows. We shall soon see as this year pans out and we find out how the big media players tackle the rise of the cost effective digital media channel.
Kat on Engaging as a Company

It is a tough issue, and I can understand why you've never published. I would encourage you to do so though - you probably have a feeling for when your writing reflects your voice and when it doesn't - and the rewards are worth it.
Thanks for reading Wendy. :)

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Jail4Bail - Measuring the Power of Social Media

by Kelly Wheeler

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