The origins of Movember are uncertain. It is believed that it began in 1999 when a group of young men in Adelaide Australia decided to grow moustaches for charity at a local pub. The "mo-vement" spread across the rest of Australia and leaked to New Zealand. In 2004, the Movember Foundation was created to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues. Since then, countries such as Canada, Spain, the United States and the Republic of Ireland have joined in on the month long event.
Movember is a perfect example of how one can fully take advantage of social media. For instance, the Movember homepage is full of awesome links that can engage anyone interested in the movement. These include news forums, donations pages, team pages and my personal favourite, the lab. In the lab, any reader can go in and find out the history of the moustache, the different styles and what they look like, pictures of famous people and moustaches, videos and more.
Movember also makes use of other types of social media such as Twitter. While they only have approximately 2,250 followers, they use the site to post updates such as this years Movember progress and links to sites and organizations that are taking part. Movember also has a Facebook group, not only for their main headquarters but for different factions across the world. These sites allow for people to engage with each other, sharing war stories and videos such as this one.
Movember has also reached out to millions through partnerships. One example of a partnership is with the Toronto Marlies. Through their website, the Marlies are supporting the cause and having the first annual Movember Night at Ricoh Coliseum. Finally, Movember has several Gala events for all the mo bros and sistas at the end of the month where those who participated can show of their mo and take part in several contests. Social media has also been used to promote future events and highlight the parties of the past. In 2008, Movember raised approximately $2.4 million, making it the largest charity event for men. On top of the money, this initiative has increased global awareness of male cancer.
Cottick out
