Guinness Takes Gold

Guinness has done it again! Last year, the beer company released 'The Basketball Commercial' featuring a group of able-bodied friends playing a game of wheelchair basketball with their handicapped companion. The ad not only created immense buzz, goosebumps, and not to mention a few tears, but it revealed a new positioning strategy for how to market alcoholic beverages. The ad allowed the 'Made of More' beer company to tie the substance and character that Guinness beer possesses with humanity and relationships that hold those qualities as well. If you haven't seen this ad you have been missing out- here it is:

Video: Guinness Basketball Commercial Enjoy!

Now with the arrival of 2014, Guinness has released many more heartwarming ads that have grabbed the attention of many--the main one being the ad featuring twin sisters, Lanny and Tracy Barnes. The video displays a side-by-side black and white picture of the Biathlete identical twins who have both sought to compete in the Olympic games. The ad features no voiced words, only flashing phrases in text that reveal the selfless and loving bond of the twins--portraying how "The Choices We Make Reveal The True Nature of Our Character".

The advertisement's already viral-potential is heightened by the ruling of the Olympic Committee to force a blackout of all ads featuring Olympic athletes between the dates of January 30th - February 26th. This ruling has caused sites such as Adweek, Businessinsider, Mashable, and many more to release the video and articles commenting on the event. The sites created much anticipation about the need to watch the Twin Ad before it disappears (which it hasn't due to unofficial recordings). With all the attention and buzz the blackout is creating, one may wonder if Guinness had this marketing strategy in mind all along... If it wasn't, Guinness has truly taken the gold with its yet another applaude-worthy ad.

Video: Guinness "Twins"

Can You Beliebe It? Never Say Never

The recent Justin Bieber scandal involving the young celebrity's DUI and mugshot has created a social media uproar. The buzz has not been of very positive sentiment towards the young pop singer, but remains talk worthy. Numerous sites have been posting pictures and articles regarding Beiber's behavior--unleashing some strong emotions toward the artist. Many posts have centered around mocking Justin Bieber's smiley mugshot that oddly seems to resemble another well-known pop singer, Miley Cyrus, who has had many memorable moments herself this year...

Also, Twitter has had its fun with the scandal as many around the world are commenting on the event. There are hashtags ranging from #FreeBieber to #DeportBieber.. Quite amusing if you ask me. In my opinion, some of the best tweets came from our favorite comedic celebrities, including Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen. See their posts below.

Despite the laughs and the harmless ego shots at Justin Bieber.. This sort of event raises a few questions. Has social media opened the flood gates for dark humor? I believe so.. And honestly I usually thoroughly enjoy it. The immense wit and sarcastic posts that surface from these celebrity life events are typically pretty hysterical. With sites like Buzzfeed, Bullet Media, Bitches Love This and others in combination with the widespread sharing and retweeting amongst peers, society is constantly exposed to a colossal amount of 'lighthearted hatred', if you will. Do you think this sort of trend desensitizes our generations? I'm not sure, but I believe it's something worth thinking on. 

2014: The Time For Charities To Become More Social

Often times people feel that a charity or other non-profit organization only wants to converse with them so that they will pull out their wallet or billfold. Is this a possibility? Absolutely. BUT, does society make this assumption because the charity has skipped the step of introducing their cause and gaining peoples' hearts that irks us, or is it just merely because we don't want to be bothered or hassled at all? My guess would be a combination of reasons. So how can charities be more appealing and successful in their attempts to fundraise? I'd start with promoting authenticity. To all charities: Stop apologizing for needing donations. We know you need them. And we are okay with that. But don't send mass emails only asking for donations. Instead, begin by appealing to your audience's heart so they feel involved, passionate, and desire to be apart of what you are doing. Create a community effect so people crave involvement. Whether this involvement is volunteer work, spreading word-of-mouth about your cause, and/or donating-- it is all beneficial. The use of social media platforms by charities is encouraging this through live posts of what the charity is doing, where, and how it is helping. It shows their purpose and how its being fulfilled with each Instagram photo, YouTube video, or Facebook update. But how many charities are actually putting the time and effort necessary to accomplish a successful social media presence? In my opinion, not enough. For instance, United Way, one of the largest charities in United States, has had an Instagram presence for only 48 weeks with 89 posts to date. I have hopes that the year 2014 will push United Way and many other charities to have a more prominent presence in social media.