Tuesday is November 1 and that can only mean one thing: MOVEMBER is back on the agenda!
Movember is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health.
The concept - one of the better cause-related marketing initiatives seen in years - continues to, ahem, grow in popularity around the globe.
Kicking off in Australia eight years ago, Movember has taken hold in a number of countries including South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, the US and parts of Europe including Finland and Spain.
This is a post I wrote last year for another of my blog. It's as relevant today as was then. Enjoy!
So what makes Movember the success that it is?
Movember is a brilliant campaign in so many ways:
- It doesn't take itself seriously despite being all about a very serious matter - men's health (prostate cancer and depression).
- It demands involvement - you have to grow a moustache! This in turn gives people plenty to talk about - it becomes a catalyst for conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
- It's highly visible - participants become "walking, talking billboards for the cause"!
- It's a very media-friendly concept (Examples - USA Today, The Telegraph UK, Vancouver Sun).
- Its online 'profile' component makes it easy for participants to chart the progress of their moustache-growing efforts which in turn helps their supporters to stay involved over the duration of the campaign.
- Its online fundraising mechanism makes it a breeze to earn and collect money for the cause (gone are the days when you had to chase people for money - friends and family can now donate directly online to individual participants).
- It attracts other really cool brands that 'get it' e.g. Threadless, TOMS Shoes etc have been involved in the past.
- It brings the campaign to life by holding parties at the end of the campaign to recognise and thank participants.
- It has remained a grassroots phenomenon, gaining in popularity year-on-year but managing to stay as fun as authentic as it was in the early days.
Movember truly is one of the world's smartest 'social' brands - learn from them!
About Movember (from the website)
Since inception, Movember has continued to grow each year, both in terms of participation numbers and funds raised. In its first year, 30 Mo Bros took part and last year, in Australia alone, over 128, 000 Mo Bro & Sistas got on board, raising more than $21 million.
Having been started by mates in Australia, Movember now takes place around the world. Motivated and inspired by what was happening in Australia, a further nine countries- New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Ireland - now embrace the Mo in an official capacity each November.
In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros & Sistas supporting the cause right across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Denmark and everywhere in between.
At the end of Movember, a series of Gala Partés are held across Australia (and the world) to thank Mo Bros and Sistas for their remarkable fundraising efforts. Mo Bros (dressed to suit their Mo) and Mo Sistas (dressed to suit their Mo Bro) come together to celebrate the Mo and compete for a number of category titles in the perfect opportunity to see what Movember is really about; great mates, health, and fun.
And of course, the Mo. Big steps have been taken towards changing attitudes and habits relating to men’s health around the world but there is still much to be done to catch up with the women’s health movement.
Via the moustache, Movember aims to continue to provoke conversation each year, with a view to breaking down long standing and traditional taboos and habits.
