Twitter-driven Cancer Campaign Sets Record

Within just 24 hours ending at 9 a.m. PST on Oct. 18, an online cancer-fighting initiative dubbed #BeatCancer raised $70,000 and generated 209,771 social media mentions to set a Guinness World Record. Despite the fact that there is a Guinness World Record for just about everything, including "Most T-Shirts Worn at One Time," this one truly deserves a shout-out.

The cancer-awareness campaign was going after a world record for "Most Social Mentions Within a 24-Hour Period While Raising Cash for Cancer Organizations," according to an article published online at CNET's News.com. That's awfully specific, but easily more important than freakishly long fingernails or morbidly obese cats.

Users who helped the campaign reach its goal were urged to include the #BeatCancer hash tag in Twitter tweets, Facebook updates and blog posts. Funding came from eBay and MillerCoors Brewing Company (whose beer, by the way, doesn't hold a candle to a nice, frothy Guinness stout), both of which donated one cent for every social media mention.

But they didn't stop after 24 hours and the two corporate sponsors still are donating money for every tweet and status mention.

As of this writing, the campaign has garnered an impressive 625,564 social media mentions.

Photo courtesy of Jason Meredith, via Wikimedia Commons