How-to and case-study of viral marketing that can not coreside with greed. Learning the methodology of building brands from the bottom from legends of social movements

Yesterday I exchanged a hug with Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana movement of Sri Lanka, after his speech at Stanford University. If one wants to learn a viral marketing and the methodology of building brands from the bottom, I think he is a man for you.

Dr. Ariyaratne has led peace marches and meditations with millions of poor people, and what is absolutely noble from my perspective, is that he was able to gather 950,000 people of Sri Lanka at the same time in the same place to manifest their intension to advocate non-violence in any forms of interactions between countries, political and economical groups, and between individuals themselves disregarding the underlying circumstances.

I asked him, how he managed to mobilize a million people, what processes and means of communication they have in place to do so. He said “We first came to villages to “give”, to help, to contribute. Now it takes us less than a month to bring together a million of people for any cause”. It’s amazing how the kindness, compassion, and open heartedness are contagious. The power behind pure intensions should not be underestimated. You want to engage millions? Give first. Give not to get, but to give. This concept is quite foreign in western society, and of course every marketer that tries monetizing on it will be coming from the wrong place. There will be no altruism in their actions; there will be always a commercial motive. The viral power of altruism is a sociological phenomena that might be taken into consideration simply as a learning model. You cannot duplicate it in commerce, but you can learn from it. Learn how to engage consumers, how to build your organization, and how to help yourself and your employees to live the life of purpose.

Dr. Ariyaratne is often called by journalists Sri Lanka’s “little Gandhi,” even though he won the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1996, the Niwano Peace Prize, the King Beaudoin Award and many other international honors for his work in peace making and village development. Ariyaratne is “like” many other leaders of popular movements. But his unique, nationwide brand of “development from the bottom up” has an enviable track record of success that endures.

When telling the story of Sarvodaya it is tempting to speak in sheer numbers. The largest non-government organization in Sri Lanka, this grassroots movement involves people in more than 11,000 villages rediscovering their ability to influence their own destinies. Sarvodaya has energized them to build more than 5,000 pre-schools, community health centers, libraries and cottage industries; establish thousands of village banks; dig thousands of wells and latrines; promote biodiversity, solar energy, rehabilitation…and peace.

The movement is open to anyone. One can visit a participating village and see houses built by Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims next to one another. New homeowners eagerly tell of their close friendships despite different religious and cultural traditions–friendships that come from working together for common goals.

It is in the building of such roads that the movement actualizes its most moving testimony of greatness. In village after village where hopelessness and poverty ruled, Sarvodaya has engaged people to live by the motto: “We build the road and the road builds us.”
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by Olga Kostrova, CEO of IdeaMama Group | IdeaMama Ad Network | IdeaMamaClub.com |

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