I found fellow classmate Annie Lui’s blog post (https://blogs.ubc.ca/annielui/2012/03/11/296-blog-3-marketing-behind-kony-2012/) about KONY 2012 very interesting because I had seen the video and witnessed the tremendous impact the video has had on social networks and the web in a short amount of time. I agree with Annie that Invisible Children effectively used viral marketing.
By distributing their video online, it was able to be viewed instantly by people all over the world. The video was quickly spread through word of mouth and online social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. This was partly because of the influence of social factors. After seeing someone in their online social network post about Kony 2012, someone else would be influenced to post about it and so on, in order to fit in and stay in the loop.
Out of the 3 key strategic marketing lessons Annie listed, I think Invisible Children did the 3rd step ( Put the audience in state, and then move them to action) the most effectively. By showing in the video the growth of the son of one of the leaders of Invisible Children and talking about family, the video builds a personal connection with its viewers. It also draws out the sympathetic side of the viewers by showing images of injured children. At the end of this touching video, the audience is asked to take action. Empathy, which is a part of interpersonal influence, can be a major influence on consumers so I think this was very effective. Many people shared the video or donated after watching it, increasing global awareness.
In terms of increasing awareness about Kony, Invisible Children has definitely been successful. However, when it comes to raising funds and actually overthrowing Kony, there are many forces in the marketing environment that must be considered. Backlash from some members of the public forces, whether or not Kony 2012 gets support from political forces, as well as the influence of economic and cultural forces will all determine the extent to which Invisible Children will be successful in raising financial resources and overthrowing Kony.