Code.org, “a non-profit foundation dedicated to growing computer programming education,” released a new web video called “What Most Schools Don’t Teach”. It instantly earned six million hits. Something about their marketing campaign is clearly working, but what is it? Can you replicate it? And will this go the way of Kony 2012?

Believe it or not, this is actually the tightly edited launch video from a poorly thought out, unnecessarily animated nine minute short movie. Though that video never cleared half a million views, “What Most Schools Most Teach” is going to grow because of one key thing: star power. The video features: Bill Gates! Mark Zuckerberg! Will.I.Am! (for some reason.) It’s the “We are the World” of educational videos, and it would have cost millions if code.org paid full market price for these endorsements. Fortunately, the founders of the charity knew many of these individuals on a first name basis before they began their efforts. In short, no, you can’t replicate this, but it does serve as a lesson in ‘stuffing videos’.

Will this go the way of the Kony 2012 campaign? No. The Kony campaign posed the world a complex problem (violence in Africa) and proposed an even more complex solution (work with the U.S. government to use special forces to capture/inhibit Kony), with a minimally interactive hook (give money to Kony 2012).  The upshot is that donors to the Kony 2012 movement could not really help, later became skeptical, and dropped their support.

Code.org is the total opposite. It lays out a simple problem (we don’t have enough quality programmers), offers a simple solution (make more quality programmers), and has dozens of ways to interact (you can use the site to donate, ask questions, find online programming/graphics design classes, find classes in your hometown that fit your schedule, read quotes from celebrities endorsing the project, etc.). You are involved in every step and grow to love the concept. The whole site is built by engagement masters and we highly encourage you to check it out for that reason alone.