The story here isn’t really as much about the people involved in the creation of this great campaign (although they’re talented, that’s for sure) as it is about why social media – and video in particular – is such a perfect fit for causes and not-for-profit groups like MADD – and especially groups who target teens.
Part of the reason for the success of the campaign is the fact that they supplemented a traditional posters-in-schools campaign with video. Captivating, can’t look away from, in your face video. Props here to Esparza, as well as to the Wade Brothers, Realfake, Back Alley Films and their sister company, T2, as well as to Bazillion Pictures for the great music. They produced just the kind of not-messing-around-here message that teens need to see, again and again, in order to have any impact. Especially when the message is about teenage drinking and what it can do to your brain. Drinking is fun, brain damage, not so much.
Video is, without question, an effective tactic. And even more effective when you’re targeting a young audience. From a strategic standpoint, with the integration of a video component, they complemented the school poster campaign with a message that could be broadcast in local movie theatres, thus ensuring that it would not only be seen by the teens who were the original target, but by their parents as well. And NM MADD noticed a measurable spike in web traffic to the BrokenTeens.org site, especially during weekend days, a/k/a prime movie-viewing days. The feedback has been terrific, from parents and kids alike – which is not all that common for a public service message. In fact, the campaign has been so successful that they’re now exploring opportunities to roll it out into other markets.
So, take note not-for-profit groups – using video in innovative ways and then working with knowledgeable social media pros who can help your video message go viral is, most definitely, a strategy worth integrating into your marketing mix.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
