I will start by noting that I like Alicia Keys’ music and whole vibe actually. I respect Lady Gaga as a premiere performer who really gets in touch with her audience.
So why was I shaking my head when I read that both Ms. Keys and Lady Gaga (can she be Ms. Gaga?), are going to turn off Twitter and Facebook for World Aids Day this Wednesday December 1? They are going to publicize their ‘digital deaths’ in a campaign labeled ‘Digital Life Sacrifice’.
From NBC Philadelphia –
”Don’t expect any Facebook or Twitter updates from Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys on Wednesday. They’re taking a break from social networking for an important cause. The two are among the many celebrities who will log off from social media platforms on World AIDS Day as part of the Digital Life Sacrifice campaign, The Associated Press reported. The campaign will benefit Keys’ charitable organization; Keep a Child Alive, which helps families impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Among the other celebs who are taking part in the campaign are Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and Jennifer Hudson. Their “last tweet and testament” videos were shot and will be used in advertisements to symbolize what the initiative characterizes as digital deaths.
The celebs will log back into their social media accounts when Keep a Child Alive achieves its $1 million fundraising goal. The charity was started almost a decade ago with Keys serving as its first Global Ambassador.“
The premise here is that people will be ‘shocked’ into greater awareness over the AIDS crisis by not being able to get updates on their favorite stars on Twitter or Facebook. OK so here’s my question: The seriousness of the AIDS epidemic, (and it is indeed an epidemic) is just that – serious. Does the denial by celebrities of Tweets and Facebook updates sound serious to you? And is this going to motivate people to donate money to the cause so that their favorite stars will start those updates coming as soon as possible? Is this a big sacrifice for stars to halt their tweeting and updating their everyday life events and thoughts?
To me it sounds a bit like the celebs are really saying –”Great we will be able to take a vacation for however long on the inane items we post to our fans and followers until they pony up the cash.” Is that possibly an extortion-like threat under the auspice of doing ‘good’?
I don’t get it folks. It sounds noble but smells bad to me. Agree? Disagree?
The Way I See It - Mark Kolier 
I am with you on this one. The icing on the cake for me is the picture of Kim Kardashian posing in a coffin all glammed up- Slightly distasteful and way out of context if you ask me.
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Isn’t "Kim Kardashian" and "distasteful" in the same sentence redundant?
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Mark — I have been involved with a lot of cause marketing over the years — and one major component of it is legitimacy. You can’t seriously have Michael Vick push for animal rights — nor can you have Lindsey Lohan do promos for a drug free America. Unless the celeb, or the brand, holds a legitimate reason to be part of the message — there is little reason to release the message to the masses.
The other component of cause marketing is that there is a need for actual involvement. Whirlpool really needs to be involved in building and outfitting homes for Habitat for Humanity — they just can’t mail it in. Nike really has to endorse cancer research — or the yellow bracelets have no meaning.
This is a stunt that has neither the legitimacy nor the actual involvement of its celebs — and sounds like a weak PR move for all those involved.
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Authenticity is the key to it all Chris. Great point and thanks for the comment.
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I have great difficulty believing these people actual post their Tweets or Facebook comments. There is some little peon whose job it is to make these posts as part of the celeb’s marketing activity and that poor peon will be out of a job until the target is achieved. Call me skeptical.
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