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Here's another take on the idea of effective media use of a celebrity: here
the renowned pianist Lang Lang as spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund
on YouTube on the WWF US website - a completely different approach:

http://www.youtube.com/user/wwfus

It's part of their 'Be the Voice for Those Who Have No Voice' campaign.

Also, what kind of competitive analysis methodologies and applications are
we using? This stuff is Marketing 101 in the business world, but I've yet
to see a rigorous go through at WFP USA of some of the 'big name'
competitors in global humanitarian/environmental type funds. Maybe we
should consider outsourcing this activity. It's crucial to building a
long-term branding strategy and capturing capturing market share! We need
to get moving in this arena.

Thoughts? Happy to talk any time...

Best,
Marsha
(201) 910-4334


On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 8:13 AM, marsha dubrow <marsha.dubrow@gmail.com>wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Yesterday, Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey, along with Kathleen Sibelius, were
> on the Harvard campus to launch Gaga's new anit-bullying foundation:
>
>
> http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=103688&utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=03.01.12%2520%281%29&utm_content=
>
> It was a huge media event with tons of media coverage. Makes me think we
> ought to leverage this reality, i.e. the unlikely coupling of celebs at
> 'serious places' and give some thought to how to best promote WFP's World
> Hunger agenda with celebrities sooner rather than later. I know we've got
> Christina Aguilera coming up at the State Department event in October and
> that got me thinking...
>
> After a lot of thought about the matter, it seems we really should
> reconsider the utility of that move. I know I supported the idea at our
> Board Meeting, but with all the press now about China and the just-
> released World Bank Report on same subject, it strikes me as a truly 'odd'
> marriage, to bring her to the State Department, along with Bob Zoellik, on
> the same podium at the same time. It has the potential to undermine the
> 'gravitas' of that setting and deprive Zoellick of the significance of his
> role as a force for global development. Moreover, I think we could leverage
> her influence with the public far better in another context. Thoughts???
>
> Just heard an NPR report featuring an excerpt from yesterday's event
> mentioned above: Gaga said that if she could have a song called 'Just
> Dance' being played all over the world, she could have a song "Be Nice!"
> that could achieve an amazing result with respect to bullying. That's a
> great idea! By way of analogue, getting a big star to write and record and
> perform a hit song, e.g. Aguilera, could have a huge impact in terms of
> making our efforts significantly more visible. That's where I think her and
> other celebrities' talents could best be applied.
>
> Best regards,
> Marsha
>
> --
> Dr. Marsha Dubrow
> Fellow
> Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
> Harvard University
> 61 Kirkland Street
> Cambridge, MA 02138
> (201) 910-4334
> mdubrow@wcfia.harvard.edu