So I'm guessing that most everyone who reads this will be connected to either Facebook or Twitter in some aspect. These social mediums have become a staple to our every day lives and keeps us connected with a much broader world, but like everything else they were created for marketing/advertising and to make someone money. I'm fine with this; I'd like to consider myself a capitalistic minded individual that sees the value in working towards a goal. What tends to bother me is when the idea of a charitable donation is used to lure us into giving into a marketing ploy.
Take for example "Company X". Company X has posted a message on Facebook stating that for every person that becomes a fan of their page they will donate $1 to "Charity Y" up to 1 million dollars (or if you prefer "smackaroos"). Now on the surface this sounds great right? I mean, what a good hearted company that is willing to give some cash for a good cause right? Well let's explore what happens when you become a fan of their page.
As a fan of their page you will now be subject to their advertising onslaught of posts regarding their products and why you should spend money with them. Remember you've also allowed them to access your contact information (a pre-requisite for being a fan of a page) so if they are smart enough to use it this will create an additional chunk of spam email or phone calls from random telemarketers considering that Company X most likely has an agreement to share their info with other groups. Sure they may give $1 for you being their fan, but depending on the type of business Company X is in they are likely to project that they can make at least $5 off of you alone. This is what makes the donation such a great idea. They get good PR, they get a huge tax deduction which will help off-set the income tax they will get hit with from the cash they make off all of their "fans".
I realize that everyone is trying to make a buck, but you know what I do when I want to support a charity? I send them a check. Why can't Company X push their PR bucks just a little further and write a check for $1,000,000 cold ones (cold ones?) to Charity Y out of the goodness of their hearts? I could be fan of a company like that on Facebook for sure.
Boom Baby,
D-Ron
