Benedict Cumberbatch supports the Ice Bucket Challenge (Image credit: ALS)
Winner: Ice Bucket Challenge
Ice Bucket Challenge wins with a massive 54.22 per cent. Created to support the ALS Association / Motor Neurone Disease Association, 2015's Ice Bucket Challenge became an overnight viral sensation as celebrities clamoured to dump ice water on their heads in the name of charity. USA Today has a good breakdown of the 5 things you should know about the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Designed by Pat Quinn and Pete Frates the idea was simple: pour iced water over yourself, donate to the charity and nominate a friend to do the same. Everyone did it, from politicians to pop stars, and included Benedict Cumberbatch, Lady Gaga, and former president George W.Bush.
The Ice Bucket Challenge showed how powerful social media can be in generating coverage, content and support for a brand
A recent ALS report in 2019 revealed the campaign enabled ALS to boost its annual funding for research by 187%; the social media campaign raised $115 million dollars in support of the charity's cause.
The Ice Bucket Challenge showed how powerful social media can be in generating coverage, content and support for a brand. It's no wonder the runners up in this category include Starbucks' 'The Unicorn' and Spotify's 'Thanks 2016, it's been weird' campaigns, both of which pioneered the use of social media to generate viral marketing.
Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.
