Dan Janal, president of PR LEADSThe ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has accomplished what every marketer dreams about: a viral marketing campaign that spreads like wildfire. More than $70 million has been raised so far and it is the feel-good story of the summer.
 
Viral marketing is hard to do. Many marketers have tried and many have failed. What can we learn from this PR stunt that can increase your ROI?
 
1.     People do things because they are fun – not because you tell them to do something or buy something. What’s more fun than challenging someone to get doused with ice water? If you can answer that question, you might have a viral marketing campaign success story.
2.     It is easy. You aren’t asking someone to walk 5 miles or spend an afternoon picking up debris on the beach.

3.     There is a strong visual element to this story. You are supposed to video yourself getting doused and post the video on social media. Not only is it visual, but it is video – in other words, not just a static picture.

4.     There’s a 100 percent contribution to a charity. This isn’t one of those, “If you buy my book, I’ll donate 2 cents to a charity.” Boo hoo. No one is going to fall for that line. But all of the money for this challenge goes to a worthy cause.
 
If you’d like to brainstorm on creative PR and promotion tactics, let’s talk. See info at http://www.PRLEADStoPROFITS.com