Kentucky Kicks Ass

Duh, of course Kentucky Kicks Ass!  It's the birthplace of Abe Lincoln, Johnny Depp, George Clooney and myself (yes, I get to include myself here because where else other than my own blog will that ever happen?). I know this, and hopefully you know this, but the guys at Kentucky for Kentucky are trying to get this message out to the world, or at least to the rest of America.  

If you've somehow been living without the internet and don't know who these guys are, I highly recommend you watch this video--it pretty much sums everything up.

If you do, however, know about this movement, you'll understand my excitement when I say I got to hear them speak at U of L tonight.  Not only have they started a campaign that has gained national recognition without anyone asking them to, but they did it solely through social media and free advertising.  

The project started just over a year and a half ago with a Facebook page and good intentions: to re-brand Kentucky.  Let's face it y'all, Kentucky gets a bad wrap.  If I hear "KFC!" or "you're wearin' shoes?!" come out of one more persons mouth when I visit another state, I'm going to do some ass-kicking of my own.  

Anyway, needless to say, the Facebook page grew to more than 1,000 likes and inspired these guys to create a Kickstart campaign to raise funds for a Superbowl commercial about Kentucky.  Unfortunately, the Kickstart campaign didn't quiet raise the $3 million needed for the commercial, but it did stir up some interest from the media and well, you know the rest.  Today, Kentucky for Kentucky is working harder than ever to promote the Bluegrass State and increase our tourism.  After all, who wouldn't want to visit a state that has more bourbon barrels than people?  That sounds pretty kick ass to me!


This is a great example of what social media can do, especially with a good message and a little hard work. I'm excited to see where this campaign goes and hope that the rest of the commonwealth will embrace it the way their supporters have.  If you're not already, make sure to "like" their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter--they've always got some kick ass things to say!