Thursday Buzz: The Future of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

This August will mark two years since the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge took over social media feeds. It was a simple pass-it-on dare: Pour a bucket of ice water over your head or donate to an ALS organization.

In six weeks, the challenge brought $115 million and 308,000 new donors to the ALS Association. ALSA also got more than 700,000 new Facebook fans within the first first few weeks.

While the whole phenomenon wasn’t its doing, the association carefully outlined how the money was allocated and planned last summer’s #EveryAugustUntilACure ice bucket bash comeback with full association sponsorship. That event raised $1 million—a jump compared with prior summers but significantly less than 2014’s epic total.

“We feel very fortunate that the Ice Bucket Challenge increased awareness and understanding of the disease because that’s obviously a huge hurdle, getting people engaged with your cause no matter what it is,” Carrie Munk, ALSA chief communications and marketing officer, said to Adweek  (opens in a new tab).

This year, ALSA may need to move beyond the challenge as a marketing strategy. It is working with a PR firm on a plan for a post-ice-bucket world.

“The real lasting effect of the Ice Bucket Challenge is now August is a time that people are thinking about ALS,” Munk said. “They will always remember back to that crazy summer when the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge happened.”

Can it take off again? What do you think?

Loyalty is Key

Want Loyal Customers? Start with Loyal Employees by @stgmaier  (opens in a new tab) https://t.co/o22PDx388d  (opens in a new tab) #socialbusiness  (opens in a new tab)

— CMSWire.com (@cmswire) May 31, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

“Attracting a high number of customers serves businesses well in the short term, but loyalty is what helps companies grow exponentially in the long run,” Steffen Maier, cofounder of the work feedback platform Impraise, wrote at CMSWire. Read his suggestions  (opens in a new tab) for building dedication, drive, and commitment in an organization’s employees, leading to the same qualities in members or customers.

Other Links of Note

Drama has been brewing over baggage fees. But one airline noted for its low-cost approach, Europe’s Ryanair, made a bold move to slash baggage costs  (opens in a new tab) for 92 percent of its fliers.

Be a healthy and productive worker by unplugging. Entrepreneurs share their strategies with Inc.  (opens in a new tab) on how to disengage from work in order to stay fresh and creative.

Failure stinks. It can really hit people hard, but the goal is to move on. Writing at Lifehacker  (opens in a new tab), James Clear outlines three stages of failure and provides strategies for determining when to quit and when to persevere.

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