On July 18, in honor of the 91st birthday of the social activist and former South African president, the Nelson Mandela Foundation is hosting Mandela Day. The day itself will feature a grand concert in New York City's Radio City Music Hall, with performances by folks like Stevie Wonder, Queen Latifah, Josh Groban, Aretha Franklin, Will.i.am, Alicia Keys, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Emmanuel Jal, and more. But the goal of Mandela Day is not so much a one-day celebration of a great man, but a re-commitment of people around the world to follow Mr. Mandela's lead by making a difference in their own communities.
To spread word about the event, the Nelson Mandela Foundation (with the help of ad agency Gotham - part of Interpublic Group) has launched a viral campaign. What a better way to inspire people toward a cause than to get passionate individuals to spread the fire to their friends?
TV, print, online, and web ads are being used to point people to the mandeladay.com website, where they can learn about Mandela Day, include themselves in a Mandela Day video, join the Imprint Wall (where they post their plans for serving their communities), read the Mandela Day blog, follow @MandelaDay on Twitter, join the Mandela Day fan page on Facebook, see Flickr photos of the Mandela Day art installation in NYC Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall, and watch videos of celebrity support of the event. (Celebrities currently featured include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, and more.)
I have not yet seen whether the Nelson Mandela Foundation has done much to take Mandela Day mobile, other than allowing people to submit messages to the Imprint Wall via text message. Are there any iPhone apps? A mobile site? Could the Foundation develop a mobile e-card from the Imprint Wall, allowing folks to send an image of their own Imprint to friends?
People can use their phones to record their own Mandela Day videos; I don't know how streamlined it is to upload the video to the Mandela Day site from a phone.
I was surprised that I could not find a link to the Mandela Day YouTube channel on the Mandela Day website; the channel features quite a few videos about the event (with some starring various celebrities).
I do hope that these interactive strategies succeed in helping word about the event to go viral. And I hope that Mandela Day inspires people to make the difference of which they are truly capable.
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