Malaria No More Uses Humor to Show Malaria Is No Joke
- Tue, October 19 2010
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
I’m not a fan of gloom and doom nonprofit marketing. Dire warnings with massively depressing supporting statistics tend to depress people into inaction. So I’m delighted to see the opposite—the extreme opposite—in Malaria No More’s new campaign, Comedy Fights Malaria. If they can make a campaign about blood-sucking, life-threatening mosquitoes funny and effective, then the rest of us have no excuse to be just a wee bit more aspirational - if not amusing - in our messaging.
Malaria No More’s campaign features spots from 25 comedians and celebs, including Ed Helms on “La Femme Mosquita” (sexy female mosquitoes as a solution to malaria), John Mayer and BJ Novak. Check out the videos here.
“The web has always thrived on comedy - from the first email joke to the massive appeal of funnyordie.com. Malaria No More tapped into this base by using high profile comedians to get people talking about how everyone can help end malaria deaths in Africa,” according to Scott Case (CEO of Malaria No More).
The Pew Research Center says comedy and humor beat news as the most-watched type of video online. Half of viewers watch comedic video online, vs. 43% for news.
The spots are entertaining - and they pass the tests the Dragonfly Effect lays out for getting content to go viral: the content needs to be personally relevant, engaging and entertaining enough that you want not just to watch - but to pass on - the message. Like I’m doing right now. Plus there is a clear call to action - which is where many nonprofits tend to suck (bad pun about mosquitos intended) in their online campaigns.
Disclosures: I am a fan of Malaria No More, I have given them money, and their CEO is the chair of the Network for Good board. But I like this campaign all on its own, aside from my allegiances.
Comments
Thanks Katya - i’d say your proximity raises the standard rather than lowering it!
No one gives away their money for a joke. When they give their money to a cause such as malaria they believe their money is going to help create change. They don’t open their wallets for funny. They open their wallets for powerful, inspirational and meaningful. They open their wallets for engagement, emotion and a peer group. Funny can be used for some programming. This is not the ad biz where I spent 15 years winning awards for being funny. Products and services can be funny. Malaria? No. Gary Wexler
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I have to agree with Gary. Most products and issues can be treated with humor. But when the end result like getting malaria or being in a downward spiral of having no job, no food, and no future means possible death - funny is not the way to get people motivated to truly care about the issues. Funny may get you a few quick dollars and a passing interest from most people now-a-days, but for serious money and to attract people that will make a difference in eliminating problems with real world solutions, serious is a better approach.