Lance Armstrong has overcome cancer, the Tour de France and nagging allegations of drug use to become one of the world’s
best-paid athletes and a sought-after spokesperson. He’s also the leader of the “Livestrong Movement.”
He’s turned his non-profit, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, better known as Livestrong, into one of the top 10 groups funding cancer research in the United States. It’s also become a movement among millions of people. Since its inception in 1997 it has raised more than $325 million, and become synonymous with the 72 million yellow bracelets it has sold bearing the Livestrong name.
Many foundations support cancer research but none has been so successful in getting people to publicly show their support, than those Livestrong yellow bracelets. Armstrong’s movement has become something more than just about cancer. The message of LIVESTRONG has taken on an individual meaning for each person who wears the bracelets. For some IT IS about cancer but for many others it’s a proclamation of how they want to live their life.To start a movement you must begin with an emotional message and a story that people can easily connect with. But you also need a leader many people want to cheer for. People like winners and Armstrong has won the battle with cancer and then went on to do something that no one ever thought he could accomplish–he won the Tour de France 7 times. With Armstrong he has all the makings of a great “movement” leader.
Forbes recently named him the most influential athlete in the US and his appeal reaches far beyond his bike. Lance Armstrong touches the lay person like no other athlete. Many people wearing his bracelets never even heard of the Tour de France before he showed up. He now has over 2.5 million people following him on Twitter. This my friend is the perfect storm for a movement, not a marketing campaign.
A movement is something that people embrace as a way of life, an attitude, an insight to their own story or even a statement to the world. When people wear one of his bracelets, it says something about them beyond “I donated money to cancer research”. This brand has taken on a life of its own. This “living” quality is a vital ingredient of a movement and something that a marketing campaign could NEVER accomplish.
Now I understand that most of us don’t have a story like Lance Armstrong, but we do have a story. How can you create a story, message or purpose that inspires people to embrace it as something that makes them feel STRONG, empowered and proud to be a part of it? Remember, LiveStrong has shown us that simply branding your company doesn’t achieve this, if it were that easy people would be getting Pepsi or Walmart tattoos on them. People committ to movements, not brands, so creating a strong BRAND MESSAGE isn’t the answer. However, creating a story that people connect with emotionally, can create fans from all over the world because they don’t just want to “buy” what you have, they really BUY IN to who you are & what you stand for. Everyone has a movement, you just may need to uncover it within you’re own collection of stories, motivations, failures and victories.
At Sykia Media we are proud of the fact that we DON’T help you market your company, we help you START A Movement!
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