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AHF's #Fight4Tolerance Twitter Campaign Battles Online Hate SpeechLOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- In late February, as the social network of Twitter (News - Alert) became rife with the derogatory use of words like "fag" and "homo" in the wake of college football star Michael Sam's coming out as gay, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) launched an innovative new online campaign in conjunction with the Cashmere Agency and Briabe Mobile to battle online homophobic remarks that ultimately contribute to ongoing discrimination. Whenever the campaign's technology picks up on hate speech or a discriminatory exchange on the public Twitter platform, it automatically sends pre-fabricated messages, or Tweets, from the Twitter handle @h8fulwordskill chiding the users flagged for hate speech to be more thoughtful about their language. Celebrities Nick Cannon and Snoop Dogg, as well as NFL star Shawne Merriman, have all signed up to send the messages from their accounts to help raise awareness about hate speech and its consequences. All the Tweets include the campaign's official hashtag, #Fight4Tolerance, and a link to AHF's X-Homophobia campaign website, www.xhomophobia.ahf.org, which encourages visitors to sign a pledge to actively end discrimination against homosexuals in their community. In its first week, the campaign generated 17.1 million impressions and 500 re-Tweets, and also led 1,500 people to visit AHF's X-Homophobia website. The campaign was also featured in Wall Street Journal's technology blog, Digits on Monday. "This campaign marks the first ue of this technology to promote a social cause," said Samantha Granberry, Senior Director of AHF Worldwide, the Foundation's marketing department. "We're very excited to have such influential celebrities involved and look forward to turning incidences of homophobia into positive, teachable moments." Briabe's Social Networking Analysis technology, a monitoring tool that helps brands track a wide range of conversations on Twitter, had previously been applied almost exclusively to enhance conversations around positive brand sentiment for companies including Home Depot. When Cashmere approached Briabe about repurposing it for monitoring negative conversations and hate speech, the company was enthusiastic about pushing the platforms capabilities, especially when it came to tackling such an important issue in conjunction with AHF. "We're thrilled to have the chance to partner with AHF and Cashmere for this worthy cause," said Briabe CEO James Briggs. " As much as we enjoy deploying our technologies and services for great brand experiences, deploying our Social Network Analysis (SNA) tool to positively impact lives and communities offers our team another level excitement." "Utilizing our unique expertise in millennial marketing and social media, we were able to identify trending pop culture chatter on Twitter, wherein the AIDS Healthcare Foundation could organically interject their #Fight4Tolerance anti-homophobia campaign," said Ryan Ford, Vice President of Cashmere Agency. "We look forward to finding new and unique ways that will allow AHF to engage in this important conversation." About AHF AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over 289,000 individuals in 32 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @AIDSHealthcare About Cashmere Agency Cashmere Agency is full service lifestyle marketing agency that specializes in maximizing exposure and buzz for major brands, particularly among multicultural millennials. With unparalleled experience and contacts in the music and entertainment worlds, Cashmere agency has a unique ability to match influencers to campaigns, amplifying engagement. About BRIABE Briabe Mobile, Inc. is the only U.S. mobile marketing solutions provider dedicated to enabling brands and agencies to reach and influence the "new majority" of American consumer groups - particularly Hispanic/Latino-American, Asian-American and African-American - with the medium they depend on most: mobile. Through a proprietary suite of technology IP, corporate partnerships, marketer/agency relationships, and marketplace insights, Briabe Mobile is the unrivaled leader in multicultural mobile marketing. For more information, visit www.briabemobile.com. |
