When clips of light sabre-wielding kids or inmates dancing to “Thriller” in the Philippines can clock up millions of viewings in a matter of hours, it’s clear that YouTube is a powerful medium. Even so, anti-bullying charity Beatbullying has been surprised by quite how successful their dedicated YouTube channel, launched in November, is proving.
“It’s been a phenomenal success,” says Director of Communications Niall Cowley. “It was one of the most-viewed channels on YouTube in the first month, with hundreds of thousands of visitors.”
Google ranking
The charity has had a relationship with Google, YouTube’s owners, for some time, but this is the first public project they have launched together. Getting involved with the most influential company in the world wasn’t as hard as you might expect.
“It was simply a case of finding out who the key decision-makers were and approaching them with a good argument,” explains Niall. They found a good cultural fit and benefits on both sides.
“For us it was access to millions of YouTube users, while their users get access to valuable content,” says Niall. The fact that YouTube has been implicated in the rise of “cyber-bullying” made the tie-up all the more pertinent.
Next generation
For a charity that works with young people, keeping up to speed with developments in new media is essential. Beatbullying picked up a “Best Use of New Media” award for their interactive children’s resource “BB CLIC” picked up at the UK Charity Awards in 2005.
According to Niall, Beatbullying is part of the next generation of charities: “We operate very differently from the anti-bullying institutions. We’re forward-thinking, dynamic and always at the forefront of new technology.” Celebrity status With an A-list line-up of celebrities – Girls Aloud, Arsene Wenger, Dannii Minogue and many more – recording video clips, the launch of the channel made quite a splash. There was no great secret to getting hold of them – it just took a lot of time, energy and effort.
“It was a daunting task,” says Niall, “but every No gets you closer to a Yes.”
The celebrities read from a script, based on the best practice advice that Beatbullying offer as professional service providers, but also spoke from personal experience, adding weight to the message.
“Why should you listen to Penny Lancaster?” asks Niall. “Because she’s been through it. That gives her immense credibility.”
Peer-to-peer
Niall is quick to stress, however, that while the celebrity involvement has helped drum up fantastic publicity, the purpose of the project is to create a peer-to-peer resource of real value for young people. The channel is already doing what YouTube does best: attract user-generated content.
“Nothing is more credible than a young person talking directly to other young people about their experiences,” says Niall. “It’s infinitely more powerful than any expert’s opinion.”
At the same time, says Niall, the content from young people on the site is informing the way Beatbullying operates: “Having a direct dialogue with this many young people is really valuable.”
Beatbullying YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/beatbullying
Beatbullying: http://www.beatbullying.org/