Once upon a time, an internet sensation called "The Ice Bucket Challenge” appeared. For those who have been living under a rock for the past decade, here's a brief recap. On July 15, 2014, golfer Chris Kennedy threw a bucket of ice cold water over himself to draw attention to the neurodegenerative disease ALS. Little did he know that this would not only get him the attention of friends and family, but also the rest of the world. The video of Chris was copied en masse on the internet. Actors, politicians and other celebrities from all over the world followed his example and posted similar videos of themselves. In total, more than €155 million was raised for research into ALS. How is it possible that so many people were convinced to throw a bucket of ice water over their heads? In this blog, we explore and ask the question, "What is the power of challenges?”
If you run, I run too!
Challenges are not new. For as long as living organisms have existed, so has competition: from competition over resources, to competition over attracting a mate–these have built a culture in which the Olympic Games make perfect sense. The desire for recognition and social validation plays an important role here. If you participate, then you belong. And belonging is something we, as social creatures, are all too eager to do. Robert Cialdini, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing, writes about this in his book "The Psychology of Persuasion”. He calls this principle "social proof: "People tend to follow the behavior of others as proof of what is 'right.'" This is something that in all likelihood descends from the beginning of time, where the chance of being ostracized from the group could be fatal.
Does this principle really go that far?
Apparently it does! Because while the Ice Bucket Challenge stemmed from a moral standpoint, we can by no means say that of all challenges. "The Tide Pod Challenge," in which young people eat a washing machine tablet as quickly as possible, or "The Blackout Challenge," in which you have to hold your breath until you pass out - yes, really - were conceived solely for schadenfreude, malicious joy. Fortunately, YouTube and TikTok also recognized this and have since removed all videos related to these types of challenges
It seems to be mostly the young who are susceptible to these challenges. Not surprisingly, because during puberty you are fully exploring who you are and where you belong. You seek connection with peers and the idea of being excluded is a nightmare. In addition, as an adolescent (especially for males) you produce a lot more testosterone, so you look for excitement and thrills. Teens fail to see the dangers of the challenge, and encourage each other to participate. The emotional brain areas dominate and "thinking" loses out to "having fun”.
Unchallenged
If you’re thinking, "How awful, those challenges!", it's time for a correction. There are also very fun and harmless challenges that do not put young people in danger. These challenges focus on highlighting one’s personal experience or impression to create a broad network of individualized contributions.
The fact that young people like to belong to a group and are looking for excitement is a valuable insight for marketers who want to appeal to this target group. For example, show that a large group of young people are enthusiastic about your brand, or have young people explain how your product or service has helped them. Emphasize the idea that your product or service is popular and that "everyone has it”. Create a sense of exclusivity and scarcity to increase social pressure, or build an online community (on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc) where young people can engage in challenges with each other. Unless you manufacture washing machine tablets.... in that case, stay out of challenges.
At Strangelove, we specialize in making your brand stand out. Wondering what Strangelove can do for you? Contact us! We'll be happy to explain.
