This week seems to be all about Kony 2012, it has blown up social media which is part of its mission. This video campaign has been made famous within a few days thanks to tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Stumble-Upon and the controversy surrounding the issue. It was in the Sunday paper having just under 50 million views, in class on Monday we watched the video for PR and it had just over 70 million hits. So in a day it received over 20 million views which is incredible to think about how viral it has gone.
For those of you who are not aware of what Kony 2012 is let me inform you. It is a campaign to stop a man named Joseph Kony who has been named one of the world’s worst war criminals, he abducts children in Africa and forces them to act in brutal and cruel ways. He took over a rebel group renaming it the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has consisted of more then 30 000 children over the years. The campaign was made by young individuals who will not stand by and let innocent killings and lives be taken. These people have already taken it upon themselves as their personal responsibility to catch Kony and make him face his consequences. They have already made change and created progress by raising awareness, this led to 100 US military personnel being deployed to help the Uganda army track and capture Kony.
The people behind the organization have also created the charity TRI which has raised money for schools, clothing, shelters, food and water. They want the children to be independent so they can have a chance for a better life. I personally think it is motivational and inspiring but being in public relations I think the campaign is brilliant.
The work and effort put behind everything is astonishing, they have even created websites to become transparent, confronting rumours and lies and informing the public of the truth. This subject has become very controversial so using transparency from the main 3 creators helps establish trust and enforce reliability. The websites inform you of the mission, allow you to pledge and track progress. It’s interesting that they are targeting younger generations and it’s working, they have already sold out of kits and posters supporting the cause. The use of the directors’ son was manipulative however used for the right purpose, Gavin finds out what his father has been doing and who the bad guys are that he is fighting against for the first time. Also using one of the boys who escaped from the army after watching them murder his brother is a touching experience. He speaks of what he would say to his brother if he was still alive and breaks down in tears, but he isn’t the only one. I’ve watched this half hour video 3 times now and every time I see that part it brings tears to my eyes as well.
The video is long but so well constructed since the director is a professional, the brief clips, music and people keep it interesting and intriguing, most are unable to look away the first time watching it. The video also makes the cause seem “cool”, meaning it appeals to the younger generations by using graffiti, bracelets, posters and unity. Younger people are feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment when usually they are considered as kids who aren’t capable of such drastic change. It is very impressive and a great technique using two-way symmetry communication, by allowing the exchange of dialog.
Overall I was impressed from a public relations stand point but also personally. I think the video is well worth watching if you can spare the time, maybe replace a television program with it.
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