Weekly round-up ~ October 30th, 2014

This week, the Red Cross discussed fire safety, blood donation, hurricane Sandy victims, and flu prevention in their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts. The following example was quite interesting and really promoted the topic of fire safety:

“You have two minutes to escape your burning home. Do you have a #gameplan to get out safely? http://bit.ly/12UqrwQ“

The image above is quite alarming. The red jumps out at the reader and is historically a color that symbolizes risk and despair. The line “You have two minutes to escape your burning home” catches the reader’s attention and achieves the purpose of making the audience think. Having such a short amount of time to escape a burning building, let alone one’s home, is a scary thought. Anyone in their right mind wants to avoid a situation like this, so it preps the reader to think strategically about a “game plan,” mentioned in the next line. The term itself makes the complex idea of a fire escape more understandable to the reader. The phrasing of this sentence as a rhetorical question speaks to the reader’s emotions and creates a sense of discomfort. After reading this post, one cannot help but be more aware of fire safety.

Doctors Without Borders focused on Ebola, history and culture of the organization, violence in Africa, job opportunities, public health, tuberculosis, and treatment centers in their social media posts. The following tweet really stuck out to me:

“More info, pt. 2: Since outbreak began in March, MSF has admitted 4,900+ patients. 3,200 confirmed w/ #Ebola. 1,110+ have survived. #MSF_USA”

This post relies on a heavy appeal to logos. An example of less being more, the organization has used numbers to speak volumes. A huge amount of people have been under the care of DWB, and many have survived. However, most have died. This shows the desperation of the Ebola situation in Africa. It also puts the organization in a good light by helping those on the verge of death to survive. Any current or potential donors would see this post and be assured that their money was going to a good cause, and they were potentially helping an Ebola victim survive one more day.

Care posted about their “We are Here” movement, Ebola, refugees, South Sudan, climate change, and care packages. The following tweet is filled with appeal to character, emotion, logic, and more:

“CARE staff delivers critical medicine and food amid heavy fighting in #SSudan: http://shout.lt/JFPv”

Within the text, the medicine is described as “critical,” which implies severity. It emphasizes the sense of importance and urgency of the work that CARE is currently doing in the conflict-ridden region of South Sudan. The fact that an innocent looking young woman is putting herself in danger by going to a violent region such as South Sudan shows that the organization is devoted to its cause and will take many risks in order to help victims. She looks like she means business, and takes her job very seriously. The post does a great job at rallying support for the organization.

Who is Doctors Without Borders seeking to reach on social media?

A main target audience of the Doctors Without Borders Organization is the general public. Since the non-profit focuses on global health issues/crises, a goal of the organization is to create awareness and spread cautionary information regarding the  health issues they are dealing with. For example, the organization recently tweeted “The population needs to be warned about the risk” regarding Ebola, with a link to a CNN article about the virus. Although most people in the world are not following the social media accounts of Doctors Without Borders, the ones who do receive important information about global health issues which can then be spread to others.

In addition, the organization attempts to cater to those who donate by making emotionally appealing posts about success stories and victims. There are countless stories like this, from instagram photos of DWB workers holding healthy babies, to Facebook posts of adolescents who are happy, healthy, and cured of Ebola. Potential and current donors are people with humanitarian and global public health interests, so the organization makes most of its posts about these topics. When a donor sees posts about the positive work that Doctors Without Borders is doing, he/she will feel a sense of comfort and assurance that the money is being well spent.

Another aspect of DWB’s social media presence is possible recruitment of new workers. Because of this, posts are sometimes made about the work that people do when working for the organization. For example, “On any given day, #MSF has more than 25,000 people working in projects in nearly 70 countries” was recently tweeted by the non-profit. Anyone who is potentially interested in working for the organization can scroll through the organization’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages to find out more information about what it is like to work for the company and the type of work that they do.

Weekly Round-Up October 17th, 2014

This week the red cross focused on disease/sickness prevention, home fires, and disaster preparation.The organization made posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and more. One especially appealing post was the following photo:

“25 years ago, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake shook Northern California to its core. Amid confusion, hunger and sorrow, over 69,000 people turned to the American Red Cross. Learn more about the response and preparing for the next emergency on redcross.org:http://rdcrss.org/1CwIkMS”

This post put the Red Cross in a positive light. The image of a worker providing aid for a relief worker established a sense of credibility. This makes me believe in the integrity of the work that the organization does, and works to persuade potential donors. The supporting text relies heavily on pathos with word choices like “confusion, hunger, and sorrow.” These words emphasize the severity of the situation, and why the Red Cross’ involvement was so important. The inclusion of the number 69,000 further establishes logos and credibility. The fact that so many people turned to the Red Cross for help portrays the importance of the work that the organization does.

Care discussed World Food Day, their Share A Meal campaign, Ebola, domestic violence, Syria, and more. Many of the organization’s Facebook and Twitter posts this week were especially appealing. One super interesting post was this one:

“The air turns chilly in the US and talk of pumpkin spice lattes is on the rise, but in #Syria, where #refugees are without power or shelter, the cold can be life-threatening. http://shout.lt/HJqg“

This post is filled with interesting rhetorical approaches. The reference to Pumpkin Spice Lattes is great, and appeals to a wide range of people in the potential audience. The drink is popular among Americans, and its growing popularity is real. The contrast between something as unimportant as a caffeinated drink and life-threatening living conditions overseas makes the reader feel almost uncomfortable and achieves the purpose of emphasizing the severity of the situation in Syria. The post mentions that many live without power or shelter, and this is bound to capture the attention of anyone lucky enough to have stable living conditions. The phrase “the air turns chilly” paints a picture of fall in the United States, and evokes a sense of comfort as well as appealing to the senses. The link to he article at the end provides the reader with more information and establishes even more credibility for CARE.

Doctors without Borders focused on Ebola, malnutrition, and South Sudan. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the non-profit made many touching posts this week, especially regarding Ebola. One post was a stand out:

“Kollie James is the 1,000th #survivor of #Ebola treated by #MSF and has now been discharged from the treatment centre in #Foya, #Liberia. He said to his #father upon leaving the centre, “Pa, I am well”. Kollie and his father Alexander, an MSF healthcare worker, survived the infection but, tragically, #Ebola took the lives of his mother, uncle and two sisters who were unable to receive treatment in time. Among the 4,500 patients #MSF has admitted to its care centres in West Africa, more than 2,700 were confirmed as having #Ebola. Despite all the loss and suffering caused by this disease, we are now able to celebrate the 1,000th survivor.”

This post appeals strong to pathos/ emotion. This young man has recovered from a terrible, life-threatening virus. You can see the gratefulness in his eyes. The post includes figures that put the work of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) into perspective. Kollie is the 1,000th survivor of Ebola, among the 4,500 Ebola patients the organization has treated. The presence of such large numbers emphasizes the large amount of work the organization is doing. The fact that Kollie has family members that died from the virus shows how lucky he is to have survived, all thanks to Doctors Without Borders.

In the field of humanitarian and non-profit work, a strong and engaging social media presence is crucial for effective fundraising. In addition, it is a key component in raising awareness, which is a goal of the organizations themselves. With each cause, comes a social media campaign of its own. Marketing the organizations is crucial for their success, and this is the most effective way of reaching the public. In the non-profit world, money and success are not guaranteed, so organizations have to work hard to achieve success. Doctors Without Borders, specifically dealing with world health issues, relies on social media to bring people together in times of crisis, as do the other two organizations I am following. For example, the American Red Cross works to spread awareness for natural disaster preparation. That inform the public of necessary steps to take to ensure safety in dangerous situations like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and more. A recent post on the Twitter page of the American Red Cross promoted tornado preparation awareness. This is a great way to reach the over one million people who follow the account. They posted “Get Ready To Drop, Cover, and Hold On” with a visual image of steps to take when preparing for the impending doom that is an approaching tornado. In this case, social media with the method of communication for the organization and probably the most convenient way to instantly reach over one million people. Quick, cheap, and convenient communication is exactly what humanitarian non-profit organizations need to spread awareness.

Another instance in the importance of social media in the non-profit humanitarian sector is it’s ability to provide access to donations and make the process easy. Care recently posted an update demonstrating this: “A10: Donate, learn more, advocate! #UpChat #ShareAMeal http://care.org/advocacy” This post asks for donations, provides the reader with information, and engages the audience in further conversation with the use of conversational hashtags. In addition, the post provides a link to the organization’s website, where there is a link for easy donation. In addition, there is information on advocacy, awareness, and more. Without social media, the non-profit would surely have a lower amount of donations, and a tougher time with getting the message out.

The Organization Doctors Without Borders often utilizes Instagram to spread awareness of the work that they do (mostly overseas.) Social Media plays a crucial role on doing this task for the organization.

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Patrick Poopel, six years old, holds his certificate saying he is #Ebola free. Patrick and his father were both discharged from the Ebola Case Management Centre run by #MSF in Monrovia, #Liberia. “Being discharged from the centre is a confusing affair. After weeks when people are afraid to go near you, suddenly they want to hug and kiss you. It can bewilder anyone, even a worldly young man like Patrick,” says MSF psychologist Ane Bjøru Fjeldsæter. Liberia 2014 © Morgana Wingard

View on Instagram

A success story such as this one puts the organization in an extremely positive light, which therefore promotes the organization. The little boy in the photo has survived thanks to Doctors Without Borders.

Without Social Media, these important organizations would have a much tougher time raising awareness, providing information to the mass public, raising money, and informing the public of their work.

I have chosen to analyze the following post from the least effective organization I am following, Doctors Without Borders.

“For Those In Peril: read more about the #migrant crisis happening along Central Mediterranean route on MSF’s @issuu: http://bit.ly/1pxsj3d”

The post is word driven. Words like peril and crisis contribute to the tone of the post and appeal to the pathos of the audience, whom MSF assumes is of a caring nature and uninformed of the ongoing crisis. The post does achieve its purpose of this appeal as well as being informative. This is done through word choice, photos, information and more. Through the inclusion of the link to the photo journal, additional emotional appeal is added though eye-catching photographs and additional information. Photos show MSF workers helping those in need and this promotes the legitimacy of the organization. Still, there is a lot left unsaid in the post and certain information that is not included such as detail on what the organization is actually doing in the situation and how they are specifically helping those refugees involved in the crisis. Is this only going on in Italy? How many refugees have they helped? What happens after they receive care from Doctors Without Borders? Overall, the rhetoric of the post is very bland, which is similar to the rest of the organization’s social media campaign/ basic rhetorical context! Bland and less engaging than the other two organizations.

The intended purpose of this post is to appeal to a caring audience who isn’t aware of ongoing crisis. Even though the post is from the least effective of the the 3 social media campaigns, it’s still pretty effective. Effective at being a very informative post through inclusion of the link to the photo journal  – this appeals to emotion and even logic that humans should not be living that way (assuming that the audience cares). Within the link, photos of MSF workers helping those in need promotes the organization and makes the audience feel that the organization is legitimate. Still, there is a lot left unsaid and information not included which detracts from the effectiveness of the post. They mention that they help refugees once they arrive on italian shores, but not much else in terms of MSF’s involvement in the crisis. Bland rhetoric and appeal compared to the other organizations. Post is very similar to other posts, so it fits into the basic rhetorical context of the campaign, which includes posting similar things over and over again with slightly different information.

Weekly Round Up – October 10th, 2014

This week, the American Red Cross focused mainly on the topic of fires and fire preparedness. They made some especially compelling posts on Facebook and Twitter, such as this one:

“On average 7 people die every day from a home fire. The American Red Cross aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires with our Home Fires Preparedness Campaign: http://rdcrss.org/1qc6PrR”

This post, text and photo included, appeals to logos by giving a solid statistic. The fact that the statistic mentions “people” as opposed to a less humanistic term adds an emotional component. The red color in the post stands out to the reader and emphasizes the topic of fire. The two hashtags – #firesafety and #redcross- is a nice touch. They contribute to engaging the audience,users of social media, in the conversation and thus promotes the cause even further. This is the overall purpose of the post. The tiny photo of the house on fire adds further appeal to the audience, many of whom are homeowners. Even children would be frightened by the picture. The purpose of spreading awareness and information is achieved through these things.

Doctors Without Borders had a phenomenal week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They mainly posted about Ebola, Malaria, and maternal mortality in Africa. One of their Facebook posts was especially interesting and appealing to me as a reader, and potential donor:

“We are distributing 50,000 family protection and home disinfection kits in Monrovia to help families protect themselves from #Ebola.
“In order to get the epidemic under control, all infected people must be able to have a bed in a treatment centre, but until the facilities that have been promised materialise, this will be impossible. In the meantime, these kits offer people some protection from an infected family member until they can get the medical care they need in an Ebola centre,” said MSF coordinator Anna Halford.”

http://www.msf.org.uk/article/liberia-massive-distribution-ebola-safety-kits

This post, including a link to an article on their website, tells me that the organization is out there doing significant work. The inclusion of a number like 50,000 adds to the legitimacy and significance of the cause. The inclusion of #Ebola engages the reader in the conversation. The quote from Anna Halford states a specific plan of action that the organization is taking to combat Ebola; this makes the reader feel confident about the actions of the company. In addition, the linked article provides pictures of cheerful African beneficiaries of MSF’s work. They are smiling, cheering, and happy. This appeals to emotion; it shows that the work the organization is doing is positive, impactful, and worthy of further donation. They have established a sense of legitimacy and appealed to ethos.

CARE posted about the International Day Of The Girl and South Sudan. Their posts were aimed at promoting the International Day of the Girl, the philosophies behind it, and raising awareness of the ongoing crisis in South Sudan. One post in particular included thought-provoking rhetoric-

“What would make your world a better place? These girls’ answers will inspire: http://shout.lt/G11s  #DayOfTheGirl”

The rhetorical question inspires the reader and makes you think. The organization then responds with an appeal to pathos with the word “inspire.” This makes me think that the answers to follow are significant and worthy of reading. It makes me want to know more about Day of the Girl. The #DayOfTheGirl hashtag engages social media users in the conversation, and the photo is a nice visual touch. It promotes the cause by adding a face to the picture (literally) and appealing to lovers of art as well.

All three organizations did a great job this week; there is no stand out.

Weekly Round-Up: October 3rd, 2014

The Red Cross had a great week on social media. The topics they focused on were: Enterovirus/Flu, Preparedness, and National Coffee Day. For Flu awareness, they posted an informational photo with tips for preventing sickness. What was especially interesting was that they employed Pinterest among their social media campaigns this week. The company created a Preparadnes/Survival Pinterest board for readers to participate in.

This tool engages users/customers,donors more than anything they have done before any allows them to participate in the effort. For national coffee day the organization posted a photo of coffee mugs with “Red Cross” on it; this appeals to readers who are coffee drinkers. A final interesting post had tons of emotional appeal- it was a #tbt post of a Red Cross worker helping a soldier in World War One. Viewers of this photo had to have an increased amount of respect and admiration for the company.

Care posted a lot on social media this week. They focused on Syria, Ghana, their Partners For Change campaign, and ending         hunger.  They posted a number of emotionally appealing photos on Facebook and Twitter such as this one of a CARE worker giving blankets to a needy child in Syria:

They also promoted their Partners For Change program by creating a Twitter hashtag trend #partnersforchange in order to bette engage users/followers. This is very effective. Another interesting note- they made a post very similar to the Red Cross. They posted a #tbt photo of a CARE worker giving care packages to those in Europe during World War Two. They included a quote: “Today CARE delivers lasting change around the world.”

Doctos without Borders focused mainly on Ebola, job opportunities, and Gaza this week. With many posts on the topic of Ebola, they have been doing a fantastic job at raising awareness and providing information on the subject. They also made a few posts about job opportunities within the organization, which is the best way to recruit potential employees.

At this point in my analysis, i’d have to say that Doctors Without Borders is the weakest social media campaign I am following. They don’t employ as many social media venues as the other two organizations, they don’t engage followers as much, and they are quite repetitive.

Social Media Marketing/ Encountered in the Past 48 Hours

1. Chevrolet- promoted on Twitter- “#truckworthy” Didn’t click.

2. Zulily Shoes – sidebar ad on twitter- “Up to our knees in boots. 65% off. 72 hour sale” Didn’t Click.

3. ABD- ad on twitter- “We’re all capable of terrible things, and missing tonight’s new episode at 10 on ABC would be one.” Trailer of show in addition. Didn’t Click.

4. Lexus- ad on Twitter- “Distinctive Outside. Exclusive inside. #LexusOfficial” Didn’t Click.

5. Off Broadway Shoes- sidebar ad on Facebook- “Boot up your fall looks. Find your favorite brands stating at $59.99.” Didn’t Click.

6. Dominoe’s Pizza- sidebar ad on Facebook- with photo of delicious looking pizza”- Didn’t Click

7. Stubhub- Facebook promotion- “Never miss a beat” Didn’t Click.

8. Urban Outfitters- Facebook Ad- with photo of model- Fall fashion collection.

9. Spotify- Facebook ad- $4.99 Spotify accounts for students”- Didn’t Click.

10. Pottery barn Teen- with photo- “Dorm supplies. Update your space.” Didn’t Click.

Here I have listed 10 marketing ads I encountered while on social media during the past 2 days. The ads were effective at promoting the culture of the company and product/service. A pattern I noticed was the use of appealing, catchy lines in the ads. These lines were aimed at really capturing the audience’s attention, and they did. It’s great that the ads are integrated into normal posts; this makes them more accessible to potential customers.