Batkid, Virality, and The Value of Publicity

Lil’ Superhero a slam dunk for foundation, city.

If you were on the Internet at all on Friday, you most likely heard about Miles, aka “Batkid,” the five-year-old cancer patient that wanted to be Batman for a day. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was happy to oblige — as was the entire city of San Francisco.

The mayor, police chief, news media, baseball team, ordinary citizens, and even the federal government, all pitched in to make November 15, 2013 a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Miles — and hit a PR home run.

Much has been said about how refreshingly heartwearming this story was, and how it speaks to the kindness of strangers and the good in humanity. But while Miles and his family were Make-A-Wish’s primary beneficiaries, this was a win for everyone involved.

Search for #SFBatKid. Source: Twitter

A Case Study in Virality

Batkid’s story was poised to go viral from the start, as it had several elements common to viral stories:

• Emotion: Miles’ courageous struggle against cancer tugged at heartstrings everywhere, and seeing an entire city come together to make his day uplifted and captivated all who witnessed, read and shared his story.
• Triggers: Who here didn’t want to be a superhero growing up? When Miles donned his mask and became Batkid, he tapped into a powerful, shared zeitgeist. Batkid let the thousands of people cheering him on in person — and thousands more on Twitter — relive their childhoods.
• Public Availability: Make-A-Wish’s decision to involve the public in Miles’ wish opened the viral floodgates. The word spread quickly on social media, and since the foundation made Batkid’s agenda available in advance, people knew where and when to show up.
• Practical Value: Miles’ story tapped into people’s altruism; their desire to help those in need. It also gave everyone an opportunity to act on it: just showing up at Union Square or City Hall to support Batkid was an easy way for ordinary people to make a difference, and feel good about it.
• Stories: This is the feel-good story of the year, if not the decade. It’s the happy ending we all seek: after fighting a long, grueling struggle at such a young age, Miles got to do what he wanted most, while feeling an outpouring of love and support from thousand strangers. Best of all, since his cancer’s in remission, he now has a fresh start, and can start living the rest of his life with the memory of a lifetime.

No wonder, then, that Batkid drew so much attention yesterday. The #SFBatKid hashtag generated over 200,000 tweets from 117 countries. People from all sorts of backgrounds and walks of life chimed in their support — even President Obama and Ted Cruz set aside their differences to cheer Batkid on. As amazing as Miles’ story itself was, the way he brought the world together is just as remarkable, and speaks to the power of social media.

San Franciscans gather at City Hall to watch Miles, aka “Batkid,” receive a Key to the City. Picture by Jay Rooney.

Publicity & Goodwill

Focusing on the public relations aspects of Batkid’s incredible story may seem narrow-sighted, but there’s no denying that the publicity it generated can provide — indeed, has already provided — significant, tangible benefits for everyone involved.

1. Naturally, Miles and his family gained the most. In addition to such an amazing experience and many lifelong memories, they also received a $10,000 check from a local clothing company.
2. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was another big winner. The foundation’s website buckled under yesterday’s heavy traffic, and while they haven’t released concrete figures yet, history tells us they likely received a surge of donations from happy people everywhere. This extra funding will help the foundation grant even more wishes for kids with life-threatening illnesses.
3. The City and County of San Francisco also won big. Mayor Ed Lee was smart to get involved, as the story painted the city in a very positive light. People from all over the world gave praise and accolades to San Francisco for its collective act of kindness. Some even plan to visit because of it — and tourism is one of San Francisco’s most important sectors, supporting 74,000 jobs and adding $2.18 billion to the local economy. When the city’s high visibility leads to more tourism, everyone in San Francisco benefits.

There were other winners, too: like the beleaguered San Francisco Chronicle reprinting its “Batkid Edition” frontpage due to high demand, or the politicians in Washington who finally found common ground (if only for a day) to cheer for the lil’ hero.

In fact, whether the gains were material or immaterial, everyone was a winner on Friday, November 15, 2013 — which Mayor Lee officially declared as “Batkid Day” — forever.

Inspiring events on such a big scale are rare, but when they happen, they unleash a massive amount of positive energy that not only betters us as a society and as a species, but also manifests as tangible gains for those who make them happen.

Call it Karma, or call it “paying it forward” — either way, the takeaway is that if you strive for good, the world will reciprocate.