Update (21/12/2009): The Rage Against The Machine campaign eventually went on to win the race to Christmas number 1, eventually selling over 500,000 copies and raising £65,000 for charity Shelter. Joe McElderry finished the week at number 2 after selling 450,000 copies.
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Despite predictions of yet another X Factor winner Christmas No. 1 this year, the show's most recent champion, 18 year old Joe McElderry is currently trailing 40,000 copies behind a 17 year old song by Rage Against The Machine (RATM), a rock/metal band who no longer exist.
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The reason for this, as you will no doubt be aware if you have watched the news lately, is because of the actions of a protest group created on social networking website Facebook, fighting against Simon Cowell's dominance of the Christmas charts for the last 5 years.
The battle for the Christmas number 1 is the most hotly contested since 1998 when the Spice Girls' "Goodbye" squared off against South Park character Chef's "Chocolate Salty Balls", a battle the former won 380,000 to 375,000. However, this most recent chart battle is already set to eclipse 1998's sales figures, with both tracks on target to sell over 500,000 copies each by the weekend.
McElderry fans were out in force yesterday for the launch of the singer's single on CD, which sold more than 100,000 copies. Yet, despite closing the gap, the X Factor singer is still significantly behind his rivals.
RATM's track has been championed by the Facebook campaign in protest against Cowell and the X Factor due to it's anti-establishment and non-conformist sentiment.
However, music writers and bloggers alike have noted, with some mirth, the irony in both the choice in song, and the aims of the group.
Firstly, the rights to both songs belong to retailers and record company Sony, who also happen to own Cowell's record label SyCo. Therefore, the company will be sitting back and enjoying watching the money pour in as both tracks look set to sell almost 1 million copies in the space of one week. Way to stick it to the man and upset the establishment!
Secondly, a song with lyrics such as "F**k you, I won't do what you tell me", championed by a Facebook group - the success of which depends entirely on hundreds of thousands of people mindlessly doing what the group and its supporters tell them to - we are sure you will agree, is somewhat ironic.Â
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However, what the campaign does show is yet another example of the power of social media and online interaction in motivating widespread public activity. Advertising and PR agencies have taken note of the marketing and advertising power of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, particularly in the last year or so, as highly effective both in terms of cost and in terms of enabling targeted, measurable interaction with a captive audience, ultimately leading to more business / brand support.
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The success of Ikea's recent Facebook campaign (see video above) is a prime example of this, showing just how effective well thought out and planned viral marketing through social media platforms can be. With budgets for social media marketing expected to be one of the largest increases among total marketing spend in 2010, second only to
email marketing, expect to see plenty more creative Facebook,Â
Twitter andÂ
YouTube campaigns in the new year too.
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As for Christmas number 1, do we really care? Who can actually remember a time when the festive chart topper was any good anyway? Before the dawn of reality TV we endured such acts as Bob the Builder and Mr Blobby at Christmas, so could a manufactured pop song or a 17 year old rock song really be any worse?