THE ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE AS A PR MACHINE

Well, the world has a new toy again: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The idea is that celebrities nominate each other to pour a bucket of ice over themselves, thereby generating awareness and money for the disease ALS. It is a rather gruesome disease of the nervous system with paralysis and death as a consequence, and the cause is completely unclear. Raising money for such causes is generally always a good idea, but it’s the way it’s done that always gives me a bit of a rash.

This morning I read a column by Georgina Verbaan in NRC Next that summarized my mixed feelings well. She writes that a jovial Beau van Erven Dorens and Renate Verbaan in Shownieuws are already laughing and pouring ice water over each other while nominating Georgina. But, says Verbaan, ALS “is nothing hilarious about.” She lets the nomination pass her by because “I don’t know if it contributes to the awareness of the disease if wet celebrities film themselves. Then a donation is more valuable.” And that’s exactly it, because did all those giggling celebrities also put some coins in the pot after they got 8000 likes with their Instagram video?

Now, I have always had a complicated relationship with this kind of public fundraising actions. Sure, you shouldn’t ignore things and attention is always better than no attention, but all those media-hungry celebrities and public figures who use these kinds of actions to boost their own PR, I just don’t know. Also that #BringBackOurGirls action from a while ago, do you remember that? Soon there were half-naked models throwing their beautifully shaped bodies into the fray to make the message clear. And anyway, as if those girls would suddenly be brought back because a handful of celebrities are pouting in a photo with a piece of cardboard. ’Oh wait a minute, Michelle Obama wants those kids back, well okay then.“ And I haven’t even mentioned the grotesque actions of companies and celebrities who donate 1 dollar to charity X for every like/share or retweet.

Look, pour as much ice over yourself as you want, but then immediately transfer a substantial amount to the ALS Association. And sure, you might think I’m a whiner and say “oh come on, make a virtue of necessity” or “the end justifies the means” and who knows what else, but I find it a strange fact that someone else's suffering is the reason and occasion for your crazy PR moment.

But hey, who am I, right.