On August 27th, a video on behalf of The Human Rights Action Center and the U.S. Campaign for Burma was placed on YouTube. In the week since then, it’s garnered almost 200,000 views, drawing the attention of people to the plight of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (formerly Burma).

“It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.”- Aung San Suu Kyi Who is she? Well according to the video, 11 years ago she won 82% of the parliamentary seats, and was subsequently placed under house arrest by the military regime that controls the country. In the video, she’s compared to both Nelson Mandela and Gandhi, as her nobel prize was awarded for her non violent struggles against the ruling regime. Now, even though she’s been under house arrest, the government has made it clear that she’s allowed to leave the country, but she would not be allowed to return. Knowing this, she decided to stay under house arrest and help her people how she can. This means that she hasn’t seen her children for at least 12 years, nor did she see her husband for several years prior to his death in 1999.

So why is this video suddenly garnering attention for her cause? Well, the main reason is that it’s a celebrity that’s taken it up. In this case it’s Jim Carrey, who states the case for Aung San Suu Kyi, and clearly with almost 200,000 views in a week, it’s obviously working. Does this mean that in order for your YouTube video to generate views and buzz you must have a celebrity? No. It makes it easier, but there are many other hooks that you can use, such as humor or the ‘wow’ factor, but whatever direction you go in, you should ensure that it fits in with your goals and corporate / project outlook. As for this video, the tone and message that Mr Carrey delivers fits perfectly with the topic.

 

Filed under: Non-Profits, Social Marketing on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 by Simon Heseltine |
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