--- title: "Alex from Target: Viral’s Random Nature" id: "25883" type: "post" slug: "alex-from-target-virals-random-nature" published_at: "2014-11-04T17:27:35+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:00:33+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/alex-from-target-virals-random-nature/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/alex-from-target-virals-random-nature.md" excerpt: "Sometimes you just gotta roll with it, even if it makes no sense. In other words, we're talking about Alex from Target. Also: In case you were wondering, yes, it's legal to donate unused food from events." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Live Events" - "Marketing" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Alex from Target: Viral’s Random Nature Remember, the universe decides what goes viral, and that doesn’t mean it has to make any sense. Hence the story of a teenager named Alex who works at Target. The teen, the subject of a photo and hashtag [that inexplicably went viral on Twitter Sunday (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessinsider.com/alex-from-target-goes-viral-2014-11) , drew unusually high interest—the kind generally reserved for a member of One Direction. Alex capitalized on that attention and scored north of 416,000 followers in 24 hours. He had a suitably nonchalant response to the whole affair: https://twitter.com/acl163/status/529047572464553984 As it turns out, so did Target, which cleverly caught on to the inexplicable buzz: > We heart Alex, too! [#alexfromtarget (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/alexfromtarget?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/LvA7qc5RfS (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/LvA7qc5RfS) > > — Target (@Target) [November 3, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Target/status/529298903896961025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) *The Huffington Post* notes that the big-box giant is smart to embrace the randomness. “Target is embracing the teen’s newfound fame, and presumably some extra attention from the [young] can only be a good thing for a brand that’s working to win back its mojo,” [writes the site’s Jillian Berman (opens in a new tab)](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/03/alex-from-target_n_6095038.html) . “Long adored by middle-class shoppers looking for chic clothes on the cheap, Target has suffered in recent years thanks to a declining interest in big-box stores and a massive credit card hack last year.” You never know what’s gonna go viral. When your brand does, for whatever random reason, it’s smart to jump on it so you don’t let the conversation pass you by. ### Give it Away Now http://twitter.com/ISESDallas/status/529387003516043264 **Here’s a common issue** you might find yourself dealing with: what to do with all that extra food you have after an event. You might have heard that it’s illegal to donate what you don’t use. MeetGreen’s Nancy Zavada, however, would like you to know about a little law called the Bill Emerson Food Donation Act. [The 1996 law (opens in a new tab)](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ210/pdf/PLAW-104publ210.pdf) [PDF] allows food to be donated to nonprofit organizations under a Good Samaritan standard. Sometimes, facilities will tell event planners otherwise, causing confusion. “This question is asked during every training, conference session, and webinar I present, without fail,” [Zavada writes on MeetingsNet (opens in a new tab)](http://meetingsnet.com/green-meetingscsr/it-illegal-donate-food-after-event) . “Rumor has it that it is illegal to donate leftover event food, and this rumor persists despite the facts.” It can be done—and done well: Check out [how the Specialty Food Association does it every year](http://associationsnow.com/2014/07/how-specialty-food-producers-are-working-to-fight-hunger/) . ### Other good reads **So, what happens** when members who aren’t on the board attend the board meeting? The National Fluid Power Association recently tried it, [and here’s how it went (opens in a new tab)](http://ericlanke.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-happens-when-non-board-members.html) . **When it comes to writing, less is more:** SCD Group’s Steve Drake talks up [the benefits of brevity (opens in a new tab)](http://www.scdgroup.net/2014/11/do-you-need-to-power-your-association.html) . **Wanna feel like you’re gonna take over the world?** Read this *Inc.* article [and pump yourself up (opens in a new tab)](http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/7-reasons-to-start-something-really-audacious-today.html) . (Twitter photo) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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