The "Like hunting" campaign for Doctors Without Borders, launched in Denmark in 2013, redefined the conventional notion of online engagement by transforming Facebook "likes" into tangible donations. Centered around the proposition that "good intentions don’t save lives," the campaign sought to bridge the gap between passive social media interaction and active social impact. It offered users a practical mechanism to convert their friends’ likes into monetary contributions, effectively giving value to digital gestures that are often seen as symbolic rather than substantive.
The market strategy leveraged a social experiment format within a digital, social media context to engage users on a platform they frequently use but may underestimate in terms of real-world impact. By integrating with Facebook through an app, the campaign tapped into the existing behavior of users seeking approval or validation via likes and reframed this behavior into a purpose-driven action. The 48-hour donation window and a cap on maximum contributions addressed concerns around financial risk, making participation manageable and encouraging higher engagement. A follow-up thank-you post personalized the experience, enhancing social proof and encouraging viral spread.
This approach targeted digitally savvy, socially conscious individuals who are active on social media but may be skeptical about the efficacy of online advocacy or hesitant to donate without a clear, immediate outcome. By making the donation process transparent, interactive, and embedded in users’ social networks, the campaign effectively transformed passive online activity into meaningful support for humanitarian aid, aligning with Doctors Without Borders’ mission while innovatively mobilizing a broader audience.
FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits.
This campaign best fits the Demonstration format because its core creative device is showing, in a real and actionable way, how users can turn Facebook “likes” into tangible donations for Doctors Without Borders. The narrative and campaign description focus not on a dramatized story, symbolic representation, or direct testimonial, but rather on the practical mechanics: participants create a post, friends like it, and each like triggers a monetary donation. The value and impact of the product—the Facebook-app donation mechanic—are demonstrated plainly through its usage, turning the abstract idea of “good intentions” into visible, countable action. The campaign revolves around directly highlighting and showcasing this new digital solution, aligning most closely with the Demonstration format.
1. International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – Positioned as a global leader in emergency humanitarian aid and disaster response, focusing on neutrality, impartiality, and long-term community resilience. Their vast international network and authoritative reputation differentiate them as a reliable and immediate crisis intervention organization.
2. Save the Children – Focused on improving the lives of children worldwide through education, health, and emergency relief. They emphasize child rights and well-being, leveraging strong storytelling and advocacy to mobilize support around vulnerable children and families in crises.
3. CARE International – Positioned as a leader in fighting global poverty with a strong emphasis on empowering women and girls to drive sustainable community development. Their strategic angle focuses on gender equality and capacity building to create lasting change.
4. Oxfam International – Known for its dual role in disaster relief and tackling the root causes of poverty, inequality, and injustice. Their market positioning involves combining grassroots activism with large-scale humanitarian aid, promoting systemic social and economic change.
5. Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) – Differentiates itself by providing direct medical care to vulnerable populations, including undocumented migrants and marginalized communities often neglected by other aid organizations. They emphasize access to healthcare as a fundamental human right, combining advocacy with fieldwork.
Q: What is Like hunting about?
A: Like hunting is a digital campaign created by the agency Konstellation for Doctors Without Borders in Denmark in 2013. The campaign centers on a Facebook app that allows users to turn their friends’ likes into real donations, with each like equating to a 1 kroner contribution to Doctors Without Borders. Participants set a maximum donation cap and run their collection for 48 hours, ensuring both control and engagement. The initiative reimagines the value of online gestures by making good intentions actionable, and it remains an ongoing donation solution accessible at www.msf.dk/likes.
Q: What creative device does Like hunting use?
A: Like hunting employs the Demonstration format, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. The campaign’s core creative device is to directly show how the Facebook app works, highlighting the immediate conversion of social media likes into tangible donations for Doctors Without Borders. Rather than relying on dramatization or testimonial, the campaign foregrounds the practical mechanics—users create a post, friends like it, and each like triggers a monetary donation—making the process transparent and actionable for participants.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Like hunting?
A: The campaign proposition for Like hunting is to bridge the gap between passive online engagement and active social impact by transforming Facebook likes into real-world donations. Doctors Without Borders positions itself to digitally savvy, socially conscious individuals who may be skeptical of online advocacy, offering a transparent and interactive way to make their intentions count. By embedding the donation process within familiar social media behaviors and providing control through donation caps, the campaign makes philanthropy accessible, immediate, and personally meaningful within the public service category.
Q: How does Like hunting rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Like hunting holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 71/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s curatorial standards.
Q: Who are the competitors in Doctors Without Borders's category?
A: In the public service and humanitarian aid sector, Doctors Without Borders competes with organizations such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, known for its global emergency response and neutrality; Save the Children, which focuses on child welfare and advocacy; CARE International, emphasizing poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment; Oxfam International, which combines disaster relief with systemic change efforts; and Médecins du Monde, which prioritizes direct medical care for marginalized populations and healthcare advocacy. Each brings a distinct strategic focus and market positioning within the broader humanitarian landscape.
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