It was one of those moments that scored high fives all around.
This is the story of how we helped score a BIG win for one of our clients.
The Competition
Monaco Ford of Glastonbury, Connecticut was approached by a couple of students from Glastonbury High School earlier this year. Monaco was asked if they'd partner with the high school for "Celebrate My Drive".
Sponsored by State Farm Insurance, it was a competition celebrating new drivers who make smart driving choices.
The program was created because more teens die from crashes than any other cause, and the first year of driving is statistically the most dangerous.
It was a cause close to the hearts of the students. They lost a friend last year in a tragic accident. Working with the girl's mom, this group decided the best way of paying tribute to her was to win this competition.
Here's how it worked. The students and teachers had two weeks - October 15 through October 24 - to get as many safe driving commitments as possible. People had to go online and vote. But when you're going up against nearly every high school in the country, you've got a lot of competition. ESPECIALLY in a day and age where people are wildly distracted and forgetful.
They wanted to dominate the competition. And Monaco Ford, an incredible family-owned business that has hired us to dominate the competition, decided it was time for a little outrageous marketing and tapped us in.
Social Media Is Only As Good As The Engagement
We knew we'd need something to capture attention and hearts. Working with the students, we created a series of videos meant to look as if the students had produced them (albeit much high production quality). The series of P.S.A.'s was capped off with an interview with one of the teachers...and an interview with the mother of the girl who passed last year.
It wasn't the easiest interview to conduct. There wasn't a dry eye around.
The videos became the core of the big social media push the two weeks of the competition. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn - they were all hit and hit hard. Typically we don't recommend a heavy push on a sales message. But in this case...it wasn't a sale. It was an awareness. The students all had skin in the game and so they shared and shared and shared.
The Verdict
Earlier this week, we got the email. Glastonbury High School will be receiving a check for $100,000 to implement more safe driving practices and programs.
Boom shacka lacka.
Social media campaigns need a holistic approach, a strong message and something visual to captivate. Do yours?
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