Let’s Move! Youtube
by Michael Berardino
Let’s Move! is a multi pronged campaign launched by the First Lady Michelle Obama, dedicated to solve the challenge of childhood obesity of this generation and future generations. Let’s Move! aims to provide parents helpful wellness information and create environments for their children to eat healthy, as well as make healthy choices in their day to day lives. It also targets schools to provide healthier food, as well as support programs, and promotes awareness for kids to be more physically active. Let’s Move! aims for support at all levels, whether it’s in the home, in community based organizations, schools, or government.
One effective way Let’s Move! has reached a huge audience is through their YouTube channel, Let’s Move. The YouTube channel is an effective public relations tool for the campaign because it spreads awareness to thousands of people instantly, and nation wide. The channel can be seen by anyone with a computer, and YouTube is a highly popular form of communication in America. The public not only has the chance to view the videos, but also give feedback to the campaign via responding to videos online, creating a relationship between the viewers and the campaign.
There are various forms of public relations that are used in the Let’s Move You Tube channel, including: press releases, interviews, dance videos, celebrity appearances, and many other promotional video content. The Let’s Move YouTube channel promotes effective social learning and adaptation. Furthermore, the Social Learning Theory of public relations states that humans are social creatures, and we learn through observation. Whether it’s through mass media or personal observation, humans learn positively or negatively. In other words, if we observe the Let’s Move! campaign and internalize it as a positive influence, then we will adapt and implement the tenets of the campaign: eating healthy, staying active, continue to provide necessary information to stay healthy.
Social Learning Theory also explains the impact of a positive role model as a way for humans to learn and adapt behavior. In the Let’s Move! campaign, the usage of athletes from Olympic team is one example of good public relations with positive role models. These are accomplished, young athletes who demonstrate healthy eating habits and staying physically active. They are highly publicized athletes that have the support of the entire US. They are positive role models to represent the US during the Olympics, and they’re positive role models that represent the Let’s Move! campaign. In theory, we would observe the Olympians behavior, internalize it positively, and adapt to their lifestyle. This is all possible through the media and public relations of the Let’s Move! campaign, specifically viewed by their YouTube channel.
This video features some of the Olympic athletes of the men and women’s track and field team. Some of the athletes featured, such as Lolo Jones and Sanya Richards-Ross, are well-publicized, sponsored, and gold medal winning athletes. Jones and Richards, along with the rest of the athletes featured, are role models who display positive behavior. Through the social learning theory, kids observe these athletes, internalize their behavior positively, and adapt more to a lifestyle of exercising outside and staying physically active. As told by some of the athletes, they got started by chasing their dog around or playing tag with their friends. Their testimonies not only humanizes these super athletes, but also shows that everyone can go outside and run around to stay healthy.
The video itself is great public relations because of YouTube’s capacity to show the video of the athletes promoting the campaign to the masses. The video conveys the one of the themes of the campaign; staying physically active and healthy, represented by physical active role models. Subscribers to the channel will be exposed of the video faster and create more viewership. This video is also made public on YouTube, meaning that one does not have to be subscribed to the channel to view the video. It is open to the public, making it more accessible to any viewer on YouTube. Like most YouTube videos, one can share the video by the links below by posting it on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media mediums to increase exposure and recognition.
