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Across the globe, each year diarrhea and pneumonia claim the lives of 2 million kids before they reach age five. Research shows that regular hand washing with soap significantly cuts the the risk of diarrhea, respiratory infections, and eye infections.

Lifebuoy soap adopted the Indian village Thesgora, with a plan to demonstrate how changing hygiene habits helps reduce these deadly childhood diseases. The video gives some background. You can also check out Lifebuoy’s Facebook page to keep monitor the campaign.

Ultimately Lifebuoy hopes that by calling attention to this issue and working closely with NGOs and governments, it can change the handwashing behavior of one billion people. Good for children’s health, good for the sale of soap, and good for Lifebuoy.

I like this social marketing campaign for several reasons. First, it deals with an important social issue. Second, it fits with the brand. Third, Lifebuoy is leveraging the power of social media through Facebook — where the softsell campaign is a natural “Like” and “Share” so customers hear about it from their friends instead of directly from the brand.

What do you think? How does it make you feel about Lifebuoy soap? Is this campaign a good idea?  Why or why not?

We post a lot of Coca-Cola examples here at T4Ps.  But they keep coming up with clever, creative ideas.  This ran in Brazil’s Capricho magazine.

The new James Bond film Skyfall opens in the U.S. this Friday (November 9). Coke Zero teamed with the movie for a joint promotion that lead to the viral video below.  What do you think of the promotion?  Does it work better for the movie or the soft drink?  Why?

Check out the latest viral videos from the Cola giants.  Both entertain — but the contrasting approaches in these two videos clearly demonstrate the different tack each takes.

The title of this article from Adweek says it all “The 10 Most Watched Ads of 2011 on YouTube” (December 21, 2011). We featured several of these on Learn the 4 Ps over the last year.  This might give you something entertaining to watch over break.

The Jennifer Aniston Smartwater viral video — that spoofs other viral videos — rose to the top of the AdAge viral video chart last week. The video spoofs some of the the elements that a good viral video is supposed to have.

Do you agree that for a video to go viral it needs these elements?  What do you think are keys for making a video go viral?

Are you familiar with TED? TED (an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design) dedicates itself to promoting and disseminating “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Click the TED logo to the left to connect to its website where you can learn more.

This past fall, TED  invited anyone to nominate “ads worth spreading” — with the idea that these ads deserved to be seen.  After reviewing more than 1000 ads, a panel of 24 judges selected 10 winners (click here to see all). We posted one of the winners, the Chase Film (for Intel’s new Core i5 Processor) about a month ago — and another winner was the Chrysler Eminem Super Bowl commercial.

Perhaps the one I like best promotes an idea from the Nike Foundation “The Girl Effect – Clock is Ticking” I embedded this 3:05 video below. This shows you how advertising can support an idea.  Check out the whole list.  Do you have a favorite?  Why is it your favorite?

Coca Cola has been working the “happiness” angle on its positioning for a few years now.  Five years ago it was the “Happiness Factory” ads — click here for a link to a long version of one of them.  About a year ago a Coca Cola video of a vending machine delivering happiness on a college campus went viral.  The video below shows Coke delivering happiness on the streets of Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  I like how the entire campaign creatively reinforces the “happiness” positioning that Coca Cola has been fostering.  Fun.

(UPDATE 12/19/2012, we apologize but Intel has removed this video.)  Intel created this great video to demonstrate why one of its prime target markets — gamers and social media users — need the 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 Processor. I think the video is likely to resonate with this target market.  I have embedded the video below, but you may enjoy it best by clicking through to YouTube and playing it full screen.

What do you think?  Many of you are likely in the target market?   Does the video make its point with you?

What drives word-of-mouth? This short article at eMarketer “Good Experiences Motivate Women to Share Product Info,” (October 22, 2010) presents research that shows why women seek and share information. As an online survey, I am a bit suspicious of the representativeness of the sample, but it does give some insights to an important issue.

What do you think?  What motivates you to tell others about your experiences (good or bad) with a brand?