Sunday October 29, 2017

I've Been Thinking:

The American Friends of Hebrew University created a series of 90 second videos centered around a traditional Jewish Bubbe, or grandmother, named Judith Cohen.

The videos are hilarious. They advertize a series of fake phone app -- one is about remembering to call your Bubbe, a second is to remind you to put on a jacket when it's cold outside and a third finds a mentsch as a match for your granddaughter.

Watch Bubbe ask you to call.

The video shorts went viral with tens of thousands of views. They are so clever that many people actually thought they were real apps and tried to buy them. In actually, they are a gentle lampooning of apps, Bubbes and grandchildren and a brilliant fundraising gimmick.

How does it help Hebrew University? It brings the name of the university to people's attention. It gets people to see and hear the name and associate the university with high tech and tech innovation.

The videos which are appropriate for all ages, clearly target a younger generation, one that watches Youtube and does not receive traditional, old fashioned, fundraising mass mailing solicitations, letters and brochures in the mail. The younger generation does not give on the same level as their parents, but these videos will make them chuckle and then maybe, reach out and donate in a "thanks for the laugh" moment.

Parents and grandparents will do more than chuckle, they will belly laugh at these videos and, hopefully, be moved to donate on an equivalent basis.

The American Friends of Hebrew University identified an emotional link, one which is real and touching and funny. The message was successful. The question is whether the campaign will raise the needed funds.

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