By: Lianne Wade, VP Account Director
The 2015 Red Sox season kicked off recently after a long, snowy winter, with temperatures in the 70’s, a clear blue sky, and Tom Brady at the mound throwing the ceremonial first pitch.
The opening day ceremony was made even more special with an appearance from Pete Frates, the former Boston College baseball player who suffers from ALS (a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; there is no known cure and most die within 5 years of diagnosis) and is considered the father of the “Ice Bucket Challenge.” Frates and his family were brought to the field and introduced to Brady, and then the entire Red Sox roster, as they presented him with jerseys donning Frates’ No. 3. And, Sox general manager Ben Cherington made a special appearance to present Frates with an honorary contract to become a member of the organization. Frates’ wife, Julie, signed it while wiping away tears from beneath her sunglasses.
Indeed it was a special day, and many of us remember the Ice Bucket Challenge (IBC), which was the social phenomenon of 2014. Millions took part in the Challenge, starting with Pete Frates, and including the likes of the Patriots, the Red Sox, Bill Gates, and other ALS patients and their families. And it resulted in 2.4 million unique IBC videos being posted on Facebook, with over $115 million raised for the ALS Association, and more than 28 million people contributing to Facebook discussions.
On May 27th I’ll be co-presenting with Lynn Aaronson, Executive Director, ALS Massachusetts Chapter, at the 2015 New England Direct Marketing Association’s Annual Conference at Bentley University, to share our perspectives on how the IBC became an overnight sensation, what is required to have a marketing effort go viral, and how the ALS Association managed this sensation and continues to leverage it in 2015. I hope you can join us.
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