The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a Christmas themed campaign entitled ‘The NSA is Coming to Town’ in the hopes getting people to lobby Congress to stop the National Security Agency (NSA) from spying on American citizens.
Sung to the tune of ‘Santa Clause is Coming to Town,’ the ACLU’s video has three different Santa’s going around a city and blatantly invading the privacy of people surrounding them. This Christmas-themed campaign is clever in equating the NSA’s ability to eavesdrop on its citizenry to that of Santa Claus, who is well-known for keeping tabs on whether people are naughty or nice.
With the video a little shy of a million views and with the ACLU having 48,547 supporters of the 50,000 they need, the video seems to have been quite successful.
Activist-Snooping Holiday Videos
The ACLU Takes Aim at the NSA with a Christmas-Themed Campaign
Trend Themes
1. Privacy-themed Holiday Campaigns - The success of ACLU's holiday-themed campaign suggests increasing consumer interest in privacy protection during the festive season, presenting potential opportunities for companies to innovate and engage with consumers in this space.
2. Satirical Video Marketing - ACLU's use of satire in their holiday campaign demonstrates the potential for creative, humorous video marketing to effectively raise awareness and support for social issues.
3. Surveillance Awareness Initiatives - The popularity of ACLU's video highlights a growing awareness and concern around surveillance and privacy, presenting opportunities for companies to provide solutions, education, and advocacy on these issues.
Industry Implications
1. Privacy Technology - The increased public interest in privacy and surveillance concerns presents a disruptive innovation opportunity for companies providing privacy-focused technologies, such as encrypted messaging apps or privacy-focused social media platforms.
2. Civil Rights Advocacy - ACLU's video campaign demonstrates the power of creative and engaging marketing in raising awareness and support for social issues, presenting opportunities for civil rights advocacy organizations to adopt similar tactics to galvanize public support.
3. Surveillance Regulation - The growing public concern around government surveillance could lead to increased demand for and innovation in regulatory solutions, providing opportunities for legal and policy experts to shape regulatory frameworks and advocate for privacy protections.