Week 3 Mess Up Essay

I was writing an essay happily and then... I realized I'd misread the prompt as I was about to post it on the discussion board! Well... here it is... how you guys enjoy it!!

Of all the organizations out there, the one I want to bring to light is Omaze. Started by Ryan Cummins and Matt Pohlson, they gathered a team of dreamers came together to put together a powerful and interesting organization that brings together people with their passion and obsessions, for “once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” What makes this organization so memorable is that it functions similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and yet, is on-going and raises funds for multiple purposes in a similar format as Indiegogo.

To start, Omaze will choose a cause and learn as much as they can about it. Then, they will select a celebrity or team and create an ad that will encourage donations to the organization as well as fans of the celebrity guest. The most recent one is Idris Elba asking a donator to be his valentine. When the donator goes to the actual website, they will get all the information they need about the offer as well as the cause. At the bottom, each donation receives a perk, from digital cards to signed covers. After the campaign is closed, there is a raffle and the winner will enjoy their perk with the celebrity guest as their prize.

According to Koontz (Hirsch, 2015), Omaze heavily relies and utilizes social media for their benefit. The goal defined by Omaze is to raise funds for causes. The target is people who are looking to donate for a good cause while having a chance at something they want in return. Social media comes into play because of the celebrity or star attached to the cause, and all promotional videos and materials used after. The popularity and success of past fundraisers for Omaze has led them to be featured and mentioned in papers like The New York Times, Fast Company, AdWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and the Hollywood Reporter, along with popular morning shows like the Today show and Good Morning America.

The public relations between Omaze and the donators are consistent and continuous. There are emails fired out to all donators as the timeline for the campaign comes to a close. Reminders of how much time is left along with additional promotional items are sent out to encourage more donations and sharing about the campaign with others. The extravagant lengths Omaze can go to is made possible by the good causes celebrities want to be known for being attached to, thus the branding of the celebrity and cause. The marketing team for Omaze works hard to attach the good deeds the celebrity is doing whenever they can, especially in magazines and commercials.

All in all, Omaze found a way to advertise to the young through celebrity stars like Shailene Woodley and through the older generation through stars like Idris Elba, with Lena Dunham appealing to everyone in between. Omaze has, recently, also tapped into the music world through Sting and the international K-pop craze by having an event with G-Dragon of BigBang. Their reach continues to broaden and grow because their marketing capabilities are endless and there is no one that cannot be reached by the enticements of Omaze.

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