Success?

So was Invisible Children and Kony 2012 successful? Well it did have flaws, a lot of them;

Some of their information in the video was wrong: Such as:

~ The LRA is not in Uganda; they were pushed out into South Sudan, DRC, and the Central African Republic. Yet they are still funding the Ugandan governments military. Claiming they are giving money to the good people when accusations of rape ad looting.
~ They lobbied the US government to go in and save the day, and even the video portrays Africans as victims who rely on these "white saviors." It propitiates a negative stereotype of the people.
~They mislead their viewers with facts: when they say 30,000 children in his army that actually happened over 30 years.

~ They are also severely criticized about how they spend their money. They grossed over 13 million: which is epic: But expenses such as management and overhead, travel, film and spreading their message makes up 68% of their income.

But 32% has gone to direct services helping the people affected.

So even though they had flaws, I think it’s more important to look at what they did do.

Beyond their weaknesses and flaws, they did help people; and although they could have done so much more, at least they made some sort of beneficial difference:
~Talking about success, they are single handily the most viral video to hit the Internet, with close to 97 million views.

They achieved 3 out of their 4 goals so far and achieved much more:
~Making Kony and the LRA famous.
~Increasing the protection of civilians.
~Pressuring international governments to help stop the LRA.
~And see that Kony and his top commanders captured.

They raised awareness, a lot of it:
~They landed a bunch of celebrity endorsements: such as Oprah, Angelia Jolie, Rihanna and Ryan Gosling to help support and spread the word.
~Thousands rallied and world leaders attended the Washington, DC and the KONY 2012 Global Summit.
~They engaged lawmakers who have the power to influence U.S. foreign policy.
~And it worked, armies were deployed, bills were passed and money flooded in

They increased protection in Africa by:
~Training 44 radio operators to use the Early Warning Radio Network to protect themselves and their communities
~LRA killings of civilians dropped 67% from 2011 to 2012

They are diminishing the LRA:
~And although they have not captured Kony they have two LRA commanders.
~690,000 defection fliers were distributed and of the 5 LRA surrendered with those fliers in-hand

They have helped the kids by
~Constructing 3 FM radio towers to broadcast "come home" messages
~89% of LRA escapees credit these "come home" messaging as the reason they decided to escape
~And the Invisible Children youth rehabilitation center is open at full capacity

So despite their flaws, they made a difference. So was it a success? Yes.

2.  The 8 “Ps” of your SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN - Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Publics, Partnership, Policy, and Purse Strings. How does your SMC address/approach all 8 Ps?

Product- The Product here is awareness. Invisible Children wanted people to be aware of who Joseph Kony was, first and foremost, and then to take action to stop him. 

Price- The price to watch the video is free. However, Invisible Children is a nonprofit funded mostly by donations, so they are always working to make money for their organization. Each video ends with a call to action.  Usually to donate, spread the word, or go on line and sign up to receive informational materials to distribute locally. 

Place- Invisible Children focuses its efforts on Uganda and Central Africa.  They are aiming to highlight the atrocities of the Lord's Resistance Army, or the LRA. 

Promotion- Kony 2012 was one of the most viral videos in history, with over 96.5 million views.  Invisible Children's strategy for promotion in the past was via the internet, and visiting schools around the country to educate young people on The LRA, and the issues in Uganda. 

Publics- IC is acknowledged worldwide, and the video was watched by all demographics, however, Invisible Children has historically been a youth movement. 

Partnership- IC is not affiliated with any political party, however they have lobbied congress to pass legislation that will make it easier to arrest Joseph Kony, the Rewards for Justice legislation. They also work with the Ugandan govt. to advocate for Kony's arrest, and the halting of the LRA atrocities. 

Policy- As we understand it, the Rewards for Justice bill authorizes the Secretary of State to offer rewards for information leading to the whereabouts of individuals wanted by International Criminal tribunals, or wanted for acts of international terrorism. IC lobbied congress to pass this bill. 

Purse Strings- IC works mainly off of donations, but keeps finances very transparent. All budgets, and financial reports are available on their website. 

Kony Video & Overview

Kony 2012 was created by an organization called Invisible Children, seeking assistance in executing the arrest of an international war criminal. Kony exploited children to further his political interests, using them as solders in this brutal war. The film was released March 5th 2012 and caught international attention, and spread like wild fire. This a a commercial promoting the organization.