Call me a jaded millennial, but I don’t understand most “viral challenges.†Sure, I can see the entertainment value of say the “Harlem Shake†or the “Mannequin Challenge,†which are several years old, but I can’t say the same for most popular online challenges that have cropped up in the last couple years.
That said, I can really get behind the latest one: The #trashtag challenge, which has been spreading on social media across the globe, is, in fact, awesome.
#Trashtag encourages people to find a place full of litter (a river, beach, park, side of the highway…), clean it up, and post before-and-after photos online.
Indeed, such a positive social-viral craze is a far stretch from other recent viral fads like the “tide pod†challenge, which literally had teenagers film themselves chewing and swallowing Tide pods (small pods containing laundry detergent used, traditionally, to wash clothes). What differentiates #trashtag from its viral predecessors is that it goes beyond social media. While it may be a social media challenge, it’s also a social-good challenge.
And, boy, have online audiences embraced it. Tens of thousands of volunteers have heeded the trash-collecting call, and have been encouraging each other to continue raising awareness of just how bad our plastic-producing and plastic-consuming culture really is.
Meanwhile, from a marketer’s perspective, #trashtag highlights some of the key trends we should be focussing on in a marketing environment increasingly social media-focussed and dominated by generations that expect companies to provide social value.
Socially responsible marketing
I’ve written about this topic before, so I won’t beat the drum about socially conscious marketing as an effective approach to target the modern digital consumer. Feel free to read an earlier articleOpens a new window  exploring how Nike’s sponsorship of Colin Kaepernick fit this trend.
The point is that younger, digital-native generations (millennialsOpens a new window and Generation ZOpens a new window ) now have significant purchasing power and, as such, it’s increasingly vital to target them specifically in our marketing and advertising campaigns. Marketers must appeal to their values, and these socially-conscious consumers place high stock in companies whose “brand purpose†is at the heart of their operations.
These audiences want to buy from, and engage online with, brands and companies that, like them, want to do good in the world. The #trashtag, if nothing else, shows how quickly a socially-driven movement can spread – particularly when social media communities get on board.
From a corporate standpoint, that doesn’t mean simply organizing and publicizing a few community outreach projects. Rather, they should be woven into every element of a marketing campaign that showcases how social responsibility is a strand of your brand’s DNA.
Marketers able authentically to incorporate into their organization’s ethos and campaigns a social cause that benefits “the greater good†will reap high-value rewards – not least, better engagement from online audiences, increased consumer reach and enhanced brand loyalty.
Consider this: According to a 2015 study from Cone Communications,Opens a new window 91% of millennials said they would change their purchasing decision in favor of a brand that supports a cause they believe in. Meanwhile, a report from French multinational media company Havas found that shares of “meaningful brands†on average performed twice as well as stock indices.
To me, #trashtag is a reminder that in today’s social media-obsessed culture, marketers (particularly B2C) need to rethink the way they regard online consumers. They aren’t simply potential customers.
With the world literally at their fingertips via their posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and elsewhere, each one is a potential brand ambassador. Get them on board, believing in your company, product or service and then you can rest assured many will help tell your story, push your brand and even talk about your service or product to their social media networks.
The breadth, depth and importance of social media
I found it especially interesting that the #trashtag challenge was apparently created in 2015 by outdoor retailer UCO gear.
Yet, it didn’t actually take off until someone made a post a couple weeks ago on social media site Reddit. Within a week of that post going viral, more than 25,000 others had appeared on Instagram alone citing #trashtag.
Yet, this particular campaign differs from most other social media challenges by picking up significant steam with international audiences.Opens a new window People everywhere seem to like the idea that ‘here is a viral challenge we can all get behind.’
Social media, of course, has been integral to this popularity.
Considering the success of campaigns like #trashtag or Nike’s sponsorship of Colin Kaepernick, I believe marketers now will look to link these two key approaches – social media and social responsibility – to digital marketing. In fact, as this strategy proliferates across the landscape, I think it will evolve into a modern version of digital guerrilla marketing.
It won’t take long for consumers to tire quickly of companies falsely co-opting certain social movements. Such campaigns will almost certainly get slammed by social media users.
With that, marketers will invest substantial time and resources to plan “authentic†social media campaigns that highlight their company’s positive priorities. Don’t be surprised if soon we see a new type of social media content marketingOpens a new window  in which campaigns are designed to showcase a brand’s or company’s value by highlighting its dedication to social causes.
And that’s a good thing.