B2B Marketing Insider
I don’t often make personal pleas, tell overly-personal stories or ask my community of readers here for support on any issue. But this project, this video and the countless people who suffer in silence due to bullying or a lack of acceptance of their differences every day is too important to ignore.
So instead of talking about B2B Marketing (the topic seems so meaningless in this context), I am sharing with you a video, made by my colleague, Moya Watson (@MoyaLynne) with many others from SAP that supports the #ItGetsBetter campaign to stop bullying, support diversity and to stem pointless suicides of those who have lost hope.
It is not without business context, but it is very personal, very raw and very real. As a parent I hope the world accepts my children for everything they are and can become. As a human being, I hope this is true for all of us.
So all I am asking is that you spend just a brief moment reading this and if you know someone who may be helped by the video or by some of the many stories told as part of this project, please pass it along…
According to Moya, the It Gets Better Project includes more than 50,000 videos that seek to stem the rise in the number of suicides of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) teens or those perceived to be gay or otherwise different in any way. The project was started in September, 2010 and includes submissions from companies, individuals and celebrities.
The videos often include personal stories about how life gets better and speaks to people who face the highest risk of suicide – those who are bullied and repeatedly disrespected because of their sexual orientation or other differences. In this video from SAP, Moya talks about the kind of bullying these people do to themselves - self-bullying that results in suicide.
The video starts with an interview from Steve Fehr, an SAP executive who lost his 18-year-old son Jeffrey, a recent Granite Bay (California) High School graduate just this past January to suicide after years of intense and public bullying.
It then goes on to document the personal stories and pleas from a number of SAP executives and professionals who talk about bullying, the importance of diversity and who provide living proof that it does get better.
The video includes is 11 minutes long but I encourage you to watch it yourself, pass it along to a friend in need or check out ItGetsBetter.org for more information.
For more coverage of the video, check out The Huffington Post, Moya’s personal blog or her post on Business 2 Community.
Michael Brenner is the Vice President of Global Marketing for SAP where he leads content strategy and serves as the managing editor of the company’s award-winning Business Innovation thought leadership blog site. He is also the author of B2B Marketing Insider, a contributor to Forbes and a frequent speaker at industry events covering topics such as marketing strategy, social business, content marketing, digital marketing, social media and personal branding. Follow Michael on Twitter (@BrennerMichael), LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ and Subscribe to B2B Marketing Insider by Email
Thank you for sharing your video. This is my personal focus as well. If you or anyone you know has a minute. Please take a look at my blog involving these issue. Thanks for sharing!
http://tehaskett.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-deal-with-special-people.html
Thanks Te-Shandra. I appreciate the link and your support!
It’s the best 11 minutes you’ll spend all week. One of our SAP collegues posted to our corporate Facebook page, “I’m in the video and I’m happy to say I feel valued for being me at SAP!” and I couldn’t agree with him more. It is a great feeling to know your Company supports who you are and values diversity. With Moya’s inspirational committment to creating this video I hope the Fehr family finds some peace and the #ItGetsBetter message of hope reaches anyone struggling to go on. It really does get better and Michael thank you for posting to help spread the word. @TrevorProject for more information
Bonnie, thanks so much for the comment. This was easiest and the hardest blog post I’ve ever written. I was trying to explain it to my daughter over the weekend and was hard to hold back tears talking about it.
Thank you for this passionate and compassionate blog! I wholeheartedly agree – this issue is way too important to ignore. We all need to reflect on our role as change agents, and what part we can play in making things better.
Thanks Caroline, we all appreciate the effort you and the rest of the team have given to make this happen.
Wonderful video, Michael. Great to see a human element of a larger organization like SAP. Here’s a great story that I recently read that is definitely in line with the It Gets Better Project. Feel free to share: http://www.warnermusiccanada.com/corey_hart/website/2012/05/truth-will-set-u-free/
Thanks Rob, I appreciate the support and for sharing that amazing story!
Hi Michael —
I’m incredibly humbled to be in your fine company on this blog. I hope you know that your support is critical to an environment in which we can all be proud of our workplace. I’m truly honored by your devotion to sharing the message — if we give even one kid a phone number in time of need, we’ve done the best thing in our careers.
thank you thank you.
-m
Thanks Moya, This was the least I could do. I am so grateful for all my readers who shared and commented on the site showing their support. Every little bit counts. Thank you for your leadership, passion and commitment to this amazing cause!
Michael,
Thanks for taking a break from your ongoing focus on B2B and sharing one of the best examples of Business-to-Community that I’ve ever seen. As a parent of young kids, you certainly see how much wonderfully individual personalities that each child is born with. As a father of three grown kids, I can only imagine how much the Fehr family misses Jeffrey. I think their willingness to share his story will help many others.
What a heartfelt and sincere message each of the people on this video share. Thanks again for sharing it on the B2B Marketing Insider blog.
Thanks Billy, you are one of my oldest “Twitter friends” and this really means a lot to me. Your support of my social journey is something I will never forget and I appreciate it more than you know.
But your support in this shows me truly what a great guy you are and how lucky your family is. So happy early Father’s Day and thanks for your support on this important issue!
Michael,
Thank you for dedicating this space to this powerful video. I was incredibly moved watching it. As Moya says, if this video helps only one child who’s feeling alone in the world, then it’s done wonders.
Hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day celebration!
Best,
Stephanie
Thanks Stephanie, I had a great father’s day and feel so lucky!