BSNS 6374 Strategic Marketing Communications

Assessment Two – (Individual) Campaign Evaluation

Semester: Semester 2,2012

Date issued: 26 July 2012

Due date and time: 27 September 2012

Delivery: Assignment box at Oakridge House (entrance level on left hand side)

Total marks: 100 marks

Weighting: 30% of course

Instructions: Complete this cover sheet and attach it to your assignment. Complete all sections of the assignment. Where applicable, show details of your workings. Collusion, copying or plagiarism may result in disciplinary action You must keep a copy of this assignment.

Student Name & ID No:

Monique McTaggart - 1405417

Lecturer: Denisa Hebblethwaite Class time: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Student declaration: I confirm that: This is an original assessment and is entirely my own work. Where I have used ideas, tables, diagrams etc of other writers,

I have acknowledged the source in every case. This assignment has not previously been submitted as assessed work

for any academic course.

Signature of student and date signed:

25/09/2012

Bachelor of Business

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VISUALISING A SOCIAL CAUSE:

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND THE

KONY 2012 CAMPAIGN

BSNS6374: STRATEGIC MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Monique McTaggart

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Assignment 2: Campaign Evaluation

27/09/2012

ABSTRACT

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The following report attempts to outline how and why the Invisible Children organisation

created and distributed an online campaign entitled Kony 2012. It isolates the organisations

key objectives whilst highlighting the marketing and communication objectives associated

with the campaign within it. Furthermore, the report analyse the use of media channels such

as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and the effectiveness such alternatives had on the success

of the campaign. The content however is not just a positive recount of the campaigns success

and attempts to adequately and fairly portray the negative backlash the campaign has gained

when individuals criticised the one-sided nature of the campaigns content and the distribution

of funding and donations. The overall effectiveness of the campaign is determined as being a

partial success because the reality is that whilst the campaign achieved most of its

communication and marketing objectives, the campaign has yet to effectively bring justice to

Joseph Kony and the LRA as per the videos main goal. Recommendations therefore refer to

alleviating negative associations with a campaign such as showing two-sides to the argument

and providing more globally relevant information.

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CONTENTS PAGE

Abstract Page 3

1. Introduction Page 5

2. The Invisible Children Position

2.1 Brand message Page 6

2.2 Brand positioning Page 6

3. Invisible Children

3.1 Creating an integrated campaign Page 6

3.2 Campaign response

3.2.1 Positive Page 8

3.2.2 Negative Page 8

4. Kony 2012

4.1 Campaign message Page 9

4.2 Marketing objectives Page 9

4.3 Communication objectives Page 10

4.4 Target market Page 10

4.5 Media channels Page 11

4.5.1 Media effectiveness Page 12

4.6 Overall campaign effectiveness

4.6.1 What are the successes? Page 14

4.6.2 Why is it not successful? Page 14

5. Recommendations and Conclusions Page 15

References Page 16

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1. INTRODUCTION

Integrated marketing techniques have become key in the marketing communication process

as new technologies have allowed companies to better target their intended market. When

advertising a social cause, it is important to note that the message and the chosen delivery are

just as important as one another.

Cause-related marketing (CRM) is said to have its own rules and benefits, both of which need

to be identified for the campaign to be successful. Such campaigns are developed so that the

organisation can increase their donations and gain recognition as a brand and an organisation

that cares for the wider community (Canteen, 2012). When looking at how cause-related

marketing is designed and executed, one can look to the recent campaign by the Invisible

Children entitled Kony 2012. An innovative campaign like this has the ability to create traffic

on the Invisible Children website and persuade individuals into thinking that the brand is both

legitimate and important to the fruition of a just society.

This campaign was introduced on March 5 2012 and gained a prominent following not long

after it disseminated through the internet and its various channels. Invisible Children have

made it clear that they have four distinct principles that the organisation operates by, each of

which is apparent in the marketing and communicating objectives constructed in the Kony

campaign. Such principles as stated on the Invisible website (Invisible Children, 2012B) are,

1. Make the world aware of the LRA. This includes making documentary films and

touring them around the world so that they are seen for free by millions of people.

2. Channel energy from viewers of IC films into large-scale advocacy campaigns to stop

the LRA and protect civilians.

3. Operate programs on the ground in LRA-affected areas that focus on protecting

communities.

4. Support LRA victims and post-conflict reconstruction.

With this in mind, the following attempts to analyse the campaign in regards to what makes it

integrated and how such techniques led to the overall success of the campaigns

dissemination.

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2. THE INVISIBLE CHILDREN POSITION

2.1 Brand message

The Invisible Children message is clearly stated in their mission statement (Invisible

Children, 2012A),

MISSIONInvisible Children exists to bring a permanent end to LRA atrocities.

The Kony 2012 campaign is a direct response to the organisations mission statement. This is

apparent through the constant mention of the LRA and the role Joseph Kony has had in

destroying the lives of men, women and children in Central America; particularly the creation

of child armies.

2.2 Brand positioning

The brands position lies directly inside the Kony 2012 campaign by which Invisible Children

hopes to have government support in arresting Joseph Kony and bringing him to justice in the

International Criminal Court (ICC).

3. INVISIBLE CHILDREN

3.1 Creating an integrated campaign

There are a number of reasons as to why the Kony campaign can be defined as integrated.

There are five steps that exist in the integrated marketing communications process, each of

which can be contributed to Kony 2012.

1. Profile the identified target market – The target market for this campaign can be

defined in a number of ways however it is pertinent to state that the use of the internet

and particularly social media technologies isolates the idea that younger individuals

with the ability to spread the message were the key demographic. Furthermore, it

should be noted that appeals for donations therefore mean that the given target

segment would need to be of certain socio-economic means.

Bumatay and Warman (2012) note that the Kony 2012 campaign is a visual

representation of how violence portrayed in cause-related marketing can have

different effects on different individuals. One could therefore conclude that the use of

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violence coupled with images and statistics about children soldiers would be used to

create a largely emotional response in the audience it was targeted towards

2. Use the relevant media channels – The main way by which this can be defined is

through the number of media channels the organisation used directly to share the

campaign across the world to various target segments. In attempting to create a viral

campaign that could be shared easily and frequently allowed Invisible Children to

ascertain that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were the most appropriate channels

for information dissemination. Surreptitiously, this would lead individuals to access

the Invisible Children website for extra information, donating money and purchasing

products. Furthermore, the use of social media as a form of spreading the message is

an excellent means by which the campaign can transcend international barriers and

appeal to a global market.

3. Achieve communication synergy – The campaigns message is consistently portrayed

in the campaign itself and on the Invisible Children’s website. Videos, events and

interviews since the introduction of the campaign have also been consistent in their

discussion of how important it is that international justice be brought to Joseph Kony.

4. Influence the target market’s behaviour – Individuals who either directly or

indirectly experienced the campaign were influenced in both positive and negative

ways. Positively, the campaign resulted in an increase in donations to the cause and

the organisation through direct financial aid and the purchase of kits pertaining to the

campaign. Negatively however, the information portrayed in the video and on the

organisations website led to blogs and newspaper articles detailing the campaigns

downfalls. Either way, the campaign became a viral success because it was

consistently being talked about online and in peer-to-peer conversations.

5. Build customer relationships – The campaign was effective in building relationships

globally because the majority of individuals outside of the United States were not

aware of the organisation. Furthermore, such relationships are apparent in the

numerous donations and support that the organisation gained post viral video. One

can also see that these relationships exist offline as well in globally organised events

such as that of the ‘Cover the night’ event by which individuals rallied together to

show support for Invisible Children and their Kony cause.

The aforementioned information allows one to clearly define the Kony campaign as

integrated. It is apparent that Invisible Children has effectively designed a campaign where

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the content and the message extend across a number of media channels to best reach a global

audience so that their brands position and the overall cause can adequately penetrate

individuals. Such a campaign has the ability to reach a younger audience who make use of

social media technologies whilst also utilising the news media as a source for reaching older

individuals who are not as internet savvy as their younger counterparts. An integrated

campaign here therefore allows Invisible Children to promote their brand and affiliated cause

to a wide populous who may not have previously known about the organisation and the

problem in Central Africa.

3.2 Campaign response

3.2.1 Positive

The campaign garnered much response from celebrities so much so that spokesmen and

endorsers were not necessarily chosen by the organisation but were rather created by personal

responses to the campaign and the affiliated cause. Twitter was a key component in celebrity

endorsement were young celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and

Selena Gomez were visually and verbally advocates for the arrest of Joseph Kony and all the

Kony 2012 campaign had and still has to offer. Younger celebrities however were not the

only constituents involved here as older supporters such as Alec Baldwin, Jimmy Kimmel,

Kristen Bell, Perez Hilton and Oprah Winfrey respectively also played important roles in the

dissemination of information and the eventual success of the campaigns awareness

objectives.

3.2.2 Negative

There are many newspaper articles, forums and blog posts that deal with criticism of the

Kony 2012 campaign. The main issue with such a large cause is the allocation of donated

money and particularly the idea that Invisible Children did not adequately portray a fair

representation of Joseph Kony and his role in Central Africa. Finnstrom (2012) states that,

“Together with mainstream media, Invisible Children conveniently reduces a very

complex conflict to a colonialist “Heart-of-Darkness” stereotype of primitiveness and

religious fundamentalism”.

Further calls have suggested that prior to the campaign, organisations such as Invisible

Children have grossly mislead individuals to view Joseph Kony as nothing more than a

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tyrannical leader out to destroy the Ugandan residents irrespective of how dangerous his

actions are any consequences that may come from his actions. This information is said to be a

clear manipulation of the facts and a persuasive technique to fulfil the Invisible Children

agenda (Schomerus, Allen and Vlassenroot, 2011)

4. KONY 2012

4.1 Campaign message

One can clearly state that the campaign was created to bring attention to the war that is in

progress in Central Africa whilst isolating the role Joseph Kony is having on the destruction

of the people and particularly the children.

It is important to note that these communication objectives are a part of what Invisible

Children has defined as their advocacy goals. It is stated that the campaign is a protest art

form by which the organisation hopes to motivate government involvement in rectifying

Joseph Kony’s actions in Central Africa. This is to say that the main message of the

campaign and its affiliates is to,

“... [get] governments around the world to take part in the comprehensive approach to

end the LRA threat to communities and to support regional governments in the effort

to protect civilians and apprehend LRA leadership” (Kony2012, 2012).

4.2 Marketing objectives

Marketing objectives here can be seen in the use of specific media channels to initiate global

peer-to-peer responses and awareness. Based on observation, it could be said that such

objectives include,

Creating a viral campaign for mass awareness of the brand and the cause

Stimulate online traffic to the Invisible Children website

o Online store, donations, cause-related information

Provide statistics and visuals that stimulate an emotional response in the audience

Use celebrity endorsers to justify the organisation and the cause

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STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

The video spread through different media channels and reached a wider audience

The use of funding to make the video was highly criticised

Celebrities used the hash-tag feature on their Twitter accounts to spread the video and the cause effectively

Marketing focused on arresting Kony and not necessarily the role of victims – Kony 2012 title (apparent in communication objectives).

Spreading the campaign was free

4.3 Communication objectives

The Kony 2012 campaign had a very specific set of communication objectives that are

apparent when looking at the Invisible Children’s website, the affiliated social media

channels, celebrity endorsers and the viral video itself. Communication objectives therefore

include:

Create awareness about the current situation in Central Africa

Through public support, see to the arrest of Joseph Kony so that he may be

reprimanded in the International Criminals Court (ICC)

Get the public to put pressure on their local governments to get involved

Persuade people to donate money to the organisation

One can further analyse the strengths and weaknesses of having such communication

objectives.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Created global awareness about the Invisible Children organisation

The information provided was one sided and said to be misleading

Created global awareness of Joseph Kony, the LRA and children of war in Central Africa

The information provided to help the organisation was largely United States centric

Allowed people to actively engage with the political agenda in another region

The campaign had to be continuously justified because of the statistics used

4.4 Target market

It is pertinent to suggest that the campaign had a global target in mind, particularly attempting

to draw on the emotional responses of those who are parents. This is apparent in the videos

use of a father-son dynamic and the culmination of statistics and images pertaining to

children. Furthermore, one would have to note that because the organisation and the

campaign alike rely heavily on donations, the campaign is further segmented into people who

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come from a higher socio-economic background and are more likely to donate money. In

regards to donating money, one would also have to conclude that even if individuals saw the

video on the television, the intended market would have to consist of internet users who could

access the Invisible Children website and either donate money or purchase campaign kits:

posters, bracelets, information booklets, t-shirts and so on. It is also asserted by Rainie et al.

(2012) that individuals aged 18-29 were more likely to engage with the video and

subsequently the campaign in its entirety because of their frequent use and understanding of

social media technologies.

4.4.1 Campaign and changing perceptions

The campaign was successful in persuading a large portion of the audience into becoming

involved with cause because the information and the visuals were hard-hitting and to some,

shocking. The main way the campaign attempts to persuade individuals into falling in line

with Invisible Children’s thoughts and actions is by using tools to create emotional responses

in the audiences who experience the campaign themselves as well as the emotional tactics

said individuals will use when sharing the campaign; word-of-mouth, captions to online posts

and so on.

It is important to note that the campaign did not positively penetrate everyone who was

exposed to the videos content; apparent in various newspaper articles and online discussions.

Such negative responses directly correspond to the idea that the Invisible Children

constituents were not adequately allocating their funding nor did they portray the information

and the war in Central Africa fairly.

4.5 Media channels

The Kony 2012 made use of a number of media channels to spread their message and

persuade their target market into believing that their cause is pertinent and necessary to the

fruition of a just society. Such channels include,

Facebook – Facebook played an increasingly prominent part in the spreading of the

campaigns message and one may directly attribute such a channel to the success of the

Invisible Children cause. Within hours of the video making its appearance on Facebook, the

campaign had gained wide recognition and the contents of the video

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Twitter – The use of Twitter was similar to that of Facebook. It was a source by which

audiences were directed to the video, to the Invisible Children website and to Facebook

forums about the success and validity of the claims made during the campaign. Furthermore,

the use of Twitter allowed users to target governmental officials and express their concern

about the core messages within the campaign video.

YouTube - A discussion by English, Sweetser and Ancu (2011) is useful in detailing the role

communication channels such as YouTube have in cause-related marketing. It is asserted that

YouTube is an excellent platform for political communication because of the programs

technical source as a 24/7 broadcasting system to the masses and subsequently, YouTube’s

prominence as an online community builder. In regards to the Kony campaign, the use of

YouTube was vital in the creation and fruition of the viral video that essentially was the

forerunner of the campaign in its entirety. It is further accentuated by English, Sweetser and

Ancu (2011) that certain principles are relevant in the use of YouTube related

communications, each of which can be related to the Kony campaign both in a

communicative sense and an organisational one alike.

Ethos: When the campaign was originally posted and before any research was

conducted into the validity of the information in both the video and in the Invisible

Children’s brand message, the campaign was taken at face value as being wholly

reliable and credibly factual. English, Sweetser and Ancu (2011) note that,

“…trustworthy communicators can influence the audience into changing

attitudes and behaviours toward the issue, product, or person being promoted

in the message” (p.736).

The trustworthiness of the information and the social media concept attached to the

campaign is what lead to its viral success. By using YouTube as a direct form of

communication, the Invisible Children cause became persuadable because the

culmination of facts and imagery created a visceral response within the audience.

Logos: When discussing the logos, the use of statistics and facts elicited from

previous and current wars creates the illusion that justice is not being adequately

served in Central Africa. English, Sweetser and Ancu (2011) accentuate the idea that

the use of logic is heightened by a brands initial trustworthiness and the marketing of

the message itself therefore is more likely to penetrate the audience’s preconceived

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ideas of what is right and wrong. It should further be noted that such information

allows the campaign to penetrate deep into the audience’s minds and persuade them to

seek out alternative information that will better afford the organisation and the cause

monetary benefits and social stimulation.

Pathos: The Kony campaign is filled with statistical information wrapped in an

emotional appeal. The continuous fortitude of the Invisible Children in their pursuit to

motivate LRA awareness is apparent in the viral video campaign and the subsequent

events that eventuated from the campaigns success. Events that directly correlated

with Kony 2012 such as the ‘Cover the night’ campaign went viral in their own right

because of the emotional and surreptitiously persuasive nature by which the main

message was communicated.

www.invisiblechildren.com – The Invisible Children website is home to all the information

about the organisation and particularly about the Kony campaign. Such information was

useful in the aftermath of the viral video by which organisers seemed to successfully

manipulate traffic into visiting their online store and purchasing kits that directly support the

campaign and the affiliated cause. At this time, it is pertinent to suggest that traffic flow

increased because not only were people seeking extra information, but the startling success of

the video led to an increase in donations; the start of a Kony 2012 online community. Those

who had previously signed up to the mailing list and shown support on the website were also

emailed the Kony video directly, eliciting a somewhat direct relationship between the

organisation and the recipient.

4.5.1 Media effectiveness

Figure 1: Kony 2012 viral video

timeline (Shoes, 2012)

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The fact that the video campaign went viral so quickly is a clear indicator that the chosen

online channels were an effective media choice. Shoes (2012), provides a visual illustration

of how quickly the video and its embedded message spread (Figure 1).

The use of Twitter and Facebook was particularly useful in helping younger individuals

experience and take interest in the campaign because they were primary portals by which

celebrity endorsers were able to spread their support for the campaign, the cause and the

organisation. Rainie et al. (2012) notes that Invisible Children had clear objectives in

choosing their media channels as,

“…one if [the] goals in launching the video was to capture attention for it through

campaigns in social media to encourage celebrity Twitter users to post about it”

(Rainie et al., 2012).

4.6 Overall campaign effectiveness

Taking into account the marketing objectives, the communication objectives and the overall

goals of Invisible Children, it is clear to suggest that the campaign has had some major

successes; however the campaign has not been successful. This notion can be broken down

based on certain principles.

4.6.1 What are the successes?

The campaign successes are numerous, as are the public’s perceptions of its downfalls. One

can state that successes include creating an informed public who for the most part are now in

support of the Invisible Children’s goal to the LRA reign, an increase in donations and the

purchasing of products through the organisations website, the public has begun putting

pressure on their local governments to get involved with the cause, celebrities willingly

endorsing the organisation and the campaign inevitably creating a larger consumer base.

4.6.2 Why is it not successful?

The campaign directly calls for the arrest of Joseph Kony so that he may be reprimanded for

his actions to date. It further asks that governments in the United States and in the far regions

of the world rally together so that such justice can be achieved. Whilst it is clear that the

campaign has created a larger awareness of the issues at hand and created a community of

motivated individuals, until the main goals of the campaign are achieved, it is impossible to

deem the campaign a success in its entirety.

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5. RECOMMENDATIONS and CONCLUSIONS

In looking solely at the public’s response to the campaign, it is clear that Kony 2012 had

many successes and many failures. Each of which can be split into two principles: successes

came mainly from the marketing objectives whilst the communication objectives and the

somewhat bias representation of the information, as described by many members of the

public (journalists, politicians, activists and so on), has seen the development of negative

imagery to both the organisation and the campaign alike.

An analysis of the Kony 2012 campaign in response to its integrated marketing

communications techniques and appeals, allows one to make various recommendations by

which campaigns from organisations such as Invisible Children can acclimate their cause to

create an effective campaign.

Recommendations for cause-related marketing include but are not limited to:

Show two-sides to the argument to decrease any ridicule that may detract from the

campaigns main message

When trying to engage a global audience, ensure that events and details extend

outside of the United States

Clearly detail where all donations will be allocated

Use social media as a platform for campaigning but make sure the media channels can

directly penetrate designated officials

o Government officials, celebrities, NGOs and so on

Create campaigns that directly link individuals to the organisations websites

Sell products online that directly correlate with the campaign to elicit a larger

response from non-profit supporters

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REFERENCES

Bumatay, M., & Warman, H. (2012). Illustrating Genocidaires, Orphans and Child Soldiers

in Central Africa. Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice, 24(3), 332-339.

Canteen. (2012). Cause-related marketing. Retrieved from

http://www.canteen.org.nz/partners/cause-related-marketing

English, K., Sweetser, K. D., & Ancu, M. (2011). YouTube-ification of political talk: An

examination of persuasion appeals in viral video. American Behavioural Scientist, 55(6), 733-

748.

Finnstrom, S. (2012, 15 March). “Kony 2012” and the magic of international relations.

Retrieved from http://www.e-ir.info/2012/03/15/kony-2012-and-the-magic-of-international-

relations/

Kony2012. (2012) Kony 2012: Answers to your questions. Retrieved from http://kony2012-

dev.pagodabox.com/about/.

Invisible Children. (2012A). About. Retrieved from http://invisiblechildren.com/about/

Invisible Children. (2012B). Critiques. Retrieved from www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques/

Rainie, L., Hitlin, P., Jurkowitz, M., Dimock, M., & Neidorf, S. (2012, 15 March). The Viral

Kony 2012 Video. Retrieved from

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Kony-2012-Video/Main-report/The-Viral-Kony-2012-

Video.aspx

Shoes, N. (2012, 29 March). Kony 2012 infographic. Retrived from

http://analysisintelligence.com/media-analytics/kony-2012-infographic/.

Schomerus, M., Allen, T., & Vlassenroot, K. (2011, 15 November). Obama Takes on the

LRA: Why Washington Sent Troops to Central Africa. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136673/mareike-schomerus-tim-allen-and-koen-

vlassenroot/obama-takes-on-the-lra

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