Jason Russell vs. Joseph Kony: Kony2012, A Race to the bottom
Posted Mar 20 in Opinion tagged Advertising, cause related marketing, consumer manipulation, Jason Russell, Joseph Kony, Kony2012, social media
Click here to see Tim Costello and myself discuss on Ten’s Breakfast.
Here is a 20 minute podcast on Joseph Kony and Jason Russell. It’s a discussion I had on ‘Sunday Nights with James O’Loghlin’, on ABC Radio. It holds no punches, in short I think the ‘Invisible Children’ movement is advertising at its worst, making a crap product seem desirable. I think time will show Jason Russell to be more deluded cult leader, than saviour of the world.
Kony 2012 is advertising at its worst. At it’s worst advertising can make the most ridiculous of products seem irresistible.
For many years the powers of advertising have been locked up in the ‘fast moving consumer goods’ cupboard. Advertising was mainly used for corporations with products to sell. They realized if you had nothing to say, or nothing credible to sell then at least you could just create a desirable image of your product, and sell that instead. The euphemism is called ‘perceived value’, the value is in the imagery not the actual product (it’s why we pay $10.00 for a beer that cost $1.00 to make).
However, locked out of the advertising game for many years were the charities and causes. The ‘tin rattlers’. To get their message across they had to make do with rational arguments of persuasion, lobbying government, providing facts and figures to get a grant, or a gift from some government department. If someone in the charities marketing department had a great idea it could be executed but only if it didn’t cost any money. So whist advertisers had budgets to create images of desire and show them on TV, charities had guys dressed up in tatty Koala suits on the streets with cup in hand. In about 2010 that all changed.
Enter stage left the most powerful; influential and cheapest media channel to ever walk the earth ‘social media’. Social media has changed the way messages get around the world forever. Even charities and social causes can reach the masses cost effectively.
However, it’s the people like ‘Invisible Children’, who have not only mastered the social media platforms (this is well documented), but they have learned the dark art of advertising as well, and that’s what makes them so dangerous (I mean influential). Married the two together (advertising and social media), to create an irresistible image for a truly questionable organisation.
Advertising doesn’t work by providing facts and figures; presenting both sides of an argument, and hoping you make the right decision. Advertising is a master to just two things 1. Desire; what can I say about my product that will make it irresistible. This could be a tangible thing (something about the product), or an intangible thing (something not about the product at all) – in fact to create desire you can say just about anything at all. And 2. Permission; what do I say about the product so someone gives themselves permission to act on the desire I’ve created. For example ‘Buy my creamy indulgent ice-cream (desire), it’s 97% fat free (permission)’.
The advertising tactics Koni2012 has embraced are:
- Desire: Koni2012 has used every trick in the handbook of advertising 101 to build a strong emotional response. Guilt about inaction, close ups of children, big music ending in a krushendo, slow motion to build drama, sweaty, evil looking bad guys. It’s not story telling, it’s manipulation.
- Permission: He’s given people the excuse to act via two clever techniques; scarcity; act now or miss out, and social norming, this is the new world order, act now everyone else is. He’s also ensured other well known popular celebrities are involved, modeling the appropriate behaviour so others follow (like sheep). There are also some light touch statistics and funny diagrams thrown in to make the cause seem real and alive today.
As stated above Russel has coupled these advertising ‘message’ with social media. This has allowed him to create free distribution around the world. But the scarier thing is for everyone who has passed this message on via social media (all 112 million of you) there is a significant issue. All of you people have publically declared you support Invisible Children and its cause. You’ve taken acrion, just by passing it on, liking it, or even worse, buying an action kit (and that’s why they were so cheap!)
Once you’ve acted they’ve succeeded, they’ve created a sense of cognitive dissonance that you must redressed. If you’ve have passed a message on saying your saying ‘I support this cause’, then you will change your (previously probably neutral) thoughts and feelings to agree with that action.
Hence there are now 112 million people around with their thoughts feelings and actions all nicely aligned around supporting Invisible Children and Jason Russel.
However, as more information comes to light about the organizations fictitious goals and their leaders increasingly erratic behaviour (past and present) it is difficult to shift their views. They have already acted towards the cause. To back out now will make them (you) look silly. That is the power of action – and Jason Russel knows this.
It all starts to feel very cult like, very evangelical, and very wrong.
So as we leave the information age we realise one thing. Information does not create action. All the information in the world hasn’t solved any of the world’s problems. Ironically Google (a company created before social media) with a mission to organize the world’s information may find its mission superfluous. You see information doesn’t have anything to do with it.
Koni2012 has proven, (and its just one of many causes that has and will continue to), you can create a fictitious cause, with a retarded goal and everyone will join in – if the image is good and you follow the twin rules of advertising and social media.
The power of advertising if left unchecked in the fast moving consumer goods space is fine (I mean really what’s the worst that can happen if you purchase more shampoo than you really need), but in the area of social cause and justice? It needs a hand break.
So far advertising, social media and a seemingly deranged cult leader have mobilized a mob of over 100 million people to do what? Hunt down a guy who once did terrible things, and make him pay. That’s it. Their cause isn’t about the country he’s left decimated. It’s not about helping the children harmed. I don’t think it’s even about bringing the sucker to justice. It’s about Jason. Jason wants to make Jason famous, by making Kony famous.
If people can’t see the warming signs in all of this – then I’m getting a little worried. The campaign is called ‘Get Kony’, my mum always said when you point a finger you have three pointing opining back at yourself (try it). Who is it that we should be most scared of?
PS I love this…
Fritz Bachen is a Consumer Psychologist and Founding Partner at Naked Communications. Fritz can be seen, read or heard at; The Gruen Transfer, ABC Radio (Sunday nights), Adnews columnist, as well as The Australian, Cleo, Mumbrella, Shop Till You Drop and so on. He speaks at numerous conferences on marketing, ideas, contemporary culture, and consumer behaviour. Fritz has degress in clinical psychology and commerce (marketing). A registered psychologist and has worked in private practice, forensic settings, advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) and marketing consultancy (Added Value). He was also state under 12 chess champion on WA, and has a board game called The Analyst selling well in the Benelux countries.
Comments
Mark Chenery
Mar 20th, 2012Talking about sinister logos. Have you checked yours out lately? : )
Renee Austin
Mar 23rd, 2012Do you think this campaign had such a big pick-up because it was the first of it's kind?
Maybe second or third time around, there'll be no novelty/innocence factor to get it off the ground?
Lynton Pipkorn
Mar 28th, 2012Hi Fritz
I think I left a comment here once before about how we as a society get what we deserve…it was in the context of how the media has dumbed down to our level, so our politicians have also if you look at Abbott and Gillard and the policy dialogue, the ratings of QandA and also has our marketing and advertising…this is just another example of that and flies in the face of how savvy we are all meant to be about marketing and media manipulation. I agree with Renae, it will wear off a bit but amazing this sucked in 100 million 'independent thinking' "slacktivists".
Sabina
Apr 17th, 2012I think the real story here is about a man and his ego and a passion to make films. 'What's in a name?' ask Coca Cola!
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