The ice-bucket challenge form 2014 was an enormously successful campaign to raise money and awareness for a worthwhile cause. The success of this one campaign led to numerous other “challenges” which also achieved some measure of success. This type of campaign was relatively new in many ways as it seemed to grow out of a completely organic and grassroots base and spread into the heights of the celebrity realm and beyond. The nature of this challenge and the psychology behind it are now subjects of study for both marketing professionals and psychological researchers.
In a report by Digiday, the ice-bucket challenge is described as “viral marketing gold.” This was so wildly successful that it now provides the template for online viral marketing. The ice-bucket challenge now exists as a case study in how to launch a marketing campaign online without actually asking anyone for money.
The challenge operated by asking ordinary people to pour a bucket of ice water on their own heads in a manner evocative of the celebration now familiar with sports teams in which the team players dump the ice cooler on the coach. These were posted on social media and the challenge to do the same or to donate to research on ALS was put to friends and acquaintances via social media. People watched the video of their friends dumping the bucket of ice water on their heads and saw them issue the challenge. Participants then challenge someone else to do the same thing or, if they choose not to dump the ice bucket, to donate money for a cause, in this case, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a degenerative illness which has no cure. The ice-bucket challenge was wildly successful, raising millions of dollars for research for ALS and substantially raising awareness of the disease. The increase in money due to the ice-bucket challenge was more than five times the amount raised the previous year using standard fund-raising techniques.
Since the success of the ice-bucket challenge, there have been numerous other challenges for other causes. There was the Sriracha Challenge to benefit homeless veterans in which people were challenges to eat a gulp of the famous hot sauce, the Hipster challenge to raise money and awareness to combat child labor (in this people were challenged to wear ridiculous glasses, skinny jeans, and other visible signs of the so-called hipster. They then were challenged to remain visible in this outfit for at least eight hours). There was also the Brussel sprouts challenge in which participants were challenged to eat 25 raw Brussel sprouts or donate $100 to end child hunger. This list goes on and on. The ice-bucket challenge was not only successful, it left a template for how to raise money and awareness for charity and other causes.
There are a number of factors which account for the success of the ice-bucket challenge and the others which followed in its path. To begin, the campaign was completely organic and relied entirely on ordinary individuals. There was no big marketing blitz to numb the public — a public that is far too jaded from the over-abundance of media images in the internet age. Ordinary people saw other ordinary people participate in the ice-bucket challenge. This was inspiring to others on a deep and visceral level. The points of identification were easy to make as folks watched their friends get involved in something they saw as equally worthwhile.
There is also the authenticity of seeing proof of the challenge. Being able to watch people pour the bucket of ice water on their heads, complete with the shock of the ice water and even the mess as it spills all around the participant seemed authentic. People found the ice-bucket challenge to be genuine. There were no paid advertisements and pushy tag-lines. It consisted of real people, many of them people we knew, doing something real that we could emulate.
As the challenge took off and became viral, celebrities jumped on-board and this also contributed to the success of the campaign. Even former President Obama was called on to participate, although he opted to donate rather than pour the bucket of ice water on himself. The combined effect of the everyday person participating with the appearance of celebrities doing the same things boosted the success of the campaign. As these famous people took part in the challenge, people got the chance to see big names take part in something they too were a part of. The overall effect of the simple, organic, and close to home quality of the ice-bucket challenge took over and became the viral event of that year.
The psychology of the ice-bucket challenge involves the normative features of the challenge. This is to say the desire to join movements that have taken on the appearance to something which “everybody” is doing is compelling to people, especially if this behavior involves something that benefits others. This is what experts refer to as prosocial behavior which generally inspires others to join in.
The ice-bucket challenge, and the others challenges which followed, also demonstrate a clear moral incentive to act. The cause and effect of the challenge were clear and people were able to get behind it without any moral ambiguity. This feature also tends to give the good feelings people derive from doing something which benefits others. Those who saw and participated in the ice-bucket challenge saw a clear direction from what they saw on social media to their own ability to join in, and ultimately to the desired outcome of doing something good.
The downside of the ice-bucket challenge and its imitators, was that it seems to have a short half-life. The year after the successful campaign in which the ALS fund raised approximately 15 million dollars, the attempt to reproduce the challenge only led to about 1% of what they had taken in the previous year. These challenges seem to have a short life in the public imagination and attempts to reproduce them do not go well. The viral aspect of the ice-bucket challenge also seemed to contribute to its failure as a lasting idea.
