As citizens of the greater Fremont-Ballard metropolitan area, we've been out enjoying one of the longest days of the year in one of the northernmost cities of the United States. Which means we've been at Seattle's Fremont Fair and the accompanying Solstice Parade.
This annual celebration is, in many ways, beyond words. If aliens ever land on our planet, let's hope they show up in the middle of the Solstice Parade, because they would see Earth as an incredibly liberated and wonderful place. The only problem is that we'd be oblivious to the fact that extraterrestrials had arrived, because they'd be indistinguishable from the participants.
The parade, produced by the Fremont Arts Council, features an amazing array of floats and musical groups. However, it's best known for a brave crowd of people who ride the route on their bikes, naked -- except, in many cases, for some strategically placed body paint.
It's the signature moment of the event, but the people behind the Fremont Fair want everyone to know that there's more to the annual celebration than a drafty ride through the Center of the Universe. In fact, the Fremont Fair supports an important cause. And this year, organizers are going to great lengths to get tech-savvy Seattleites to look beyond the nudity and spread the word about that cause.
But so far, at least, the effort hasn't exactly been a total success.
The Solid Ground community organization, whose anti-poverty programs benefit from donations collected at the Fremont Fair, invited "Social Media reporters" to a special tent to get free power, wifi, refreshments, "Fremont Fair volunteer" shirts and press badges.
That's a pretty sweet setup for people blogging and tweeting from the event. So why is it being offered? To influence the way the fair is covered in blog posts and tweets -- seeking to shift the focus away from the naked cyclists and toward the charitable mission.
At the very least, the strategy shows how much regard people have nowadays for the impact of social media on public perception.
The group's open invitation (PDF), distributed earlier this month, explained the motivation in clear terms: "Say 'Fremont Fair' and it’s almost a sure bet that the next words out of someone’s mouth will be 'naked bicyclists.' While those brash souls might provide one of the event’s most interesting visuals, they aren’t the most compelling story."
It continued, "While many bicyclists choose to bare it all at the Solstice Parade (which is produced by the Fremont Arts Council and occurs adjacent to the Fair, starting at 12 noon on Saturday) the individuals and families assisted by Solid Ground don’t have anything to protect them. Apart from Solid Ground, they are naked in the world, and no amount of sunscreen can shield them from the harsh realities they face."
The invite went on to highlight the philanthropic backdrop for the event, promising to have high-level Fremont Fair officials on hand at the tent for social-media types to interview. It concluded, "In planning your coverage of the Fair and the accompanying Solstice Parade, I hope you’ll help us communicate that to the larger community."
Well, maybe they'll have better luck next year.
One of the region's most prominent social-media practitioners, SeattlePI.com's Monica Guzman, not only covered the naked byclists but rode along with them -- in a bathing suit, not naked, she swears. She tweeted prolifically about the experience and posted pictures of some of the extravagantly decorated participants she rode along with.
"I'm in a warehouse, surrounded by naked people and paint," she tweeted at 9 a.m. "T-minus 3 hours to the Solstice cyclists ride!"
"Brrr! These folks can really feel the breeze," she tweeted a couple hours later. "1st on agenda: Surprise naked bike ride through Ballard!"
At the end, she reflected on the experience. "Though I wasn't fully naked, riding with the Solstice cyclists was among the most fun things I've ever done. Face hurts from smiling :-D"
Of course, there's an easy solution to this whole thing, and we'd like to publicly offer it to Fremont Fair organizers in the form of some public-relations advice: Next year, just put a couple naked cyclists next to the charity spokepeople at the social-media tent. Better yet, make the naked cyclists the charity spokespeople. Why work against human nature when you can use it to your advantage?
You're welcome, no PR consulting fee required. Consider it our donation to the cause. And we'll be sure to visit your tent next year.
(Image from 2008 Fremont Solstice parade, by Flickr user chad050.)
READ MORE and COMMENT
No comments:
Post a Comment