Black Lives Matter: Unsafety Check [presentation image]

Credits & Description:

Title: Unsafety Check
Agency: J. Walter Thompson New York
Brand: Black Lives Matter
Country: USA
Entrant Company: J. Walter Thompson New York
Advertising Agency: J. Walter Thompson New York
Production Company: J. Walter Thompson New York
Chief Creative Officer: Brent Choi (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Senior Art Director: Jessica Toye (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Senior Art Director: Mo Osunbor (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Senior Copywriter: Daniel Del Toro (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Senior Copywriter: Chris Phillips (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Head Of Digital: Jennifer Mcbride (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Director Of Technology: Kamran Aslam (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Producer: Angela Oneill (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Associate Technical Director: Juan Turcio (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Senior Technical Lead: William Mincy (J. Walter Thompson New York)
Qa Manager: Sujay Debsikdar (J. Walter Thompson New York)
URL: https://www.markyourselfunsafe...
Strategy:
Facebook has rolled out the “Safety Check” which lets people declare themselves safe in national emergencies. But we wanted to build awareness and create PR on how unsafe Black Americans feel. So we built a mobile-first social media platform to engage their followers, plus millennials in general, motivating them to stay involved and take action against racism in America. So Black Lives Matter could connect not only on the front lines, but online as well. Leveraged Social Media because:- 6 in 10 Americans get their news from social media.- Influencers increase campaign effectiveness by over 80%.- Millennials engage with social causes most often through Facebook (87%) and Twitter (54%).- Shares, likes, check-ins have been continually used as symbolic acts of speech with the hope of spreading consciousness and constructing an image of oneself as an activist.
Campaign Description:
We hacked Facebook’s existing “safety check” functionality to create a simple and provocative social web app called the “Unsafety Check”. Black people were now able to mark themselves unsafe, letting the world know how they feel. All these individuals, sharing the same message together, was able to create a loud and powerful PR message. And by sharing the issues of Black Lives Matter with family, friends and all of their followers, it makes the message personal.
Synopsis:
The Washington Post declared “Black America is in a state of emergency.” Black people are being harassed, beaten and killed while doing everyday activities such as walking to school, sitting in a car or even when calling for help. In a year when hate crimes rose as high as 35% percent and the election of the most controversial President in American history. Black Lives Matter needed a way to utilize social media to generate PR and foster empathy in all Americans – Black, White and everything in between.
Execution:
The social web app launched as part of Black Lives Matters’ week of action, which encouraged supporters of racial equality to get involved in daily activist-oriented tasks between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Trump’s Inauguration.- Leveraged popular advocates with large social media following to amplify our message and grow our reach.- Designed for mobile first.- Our development team intelligently utilized the Facebook and Twitter API, collect user data, and control the messaging. - Controlling the message was important to Black Lives Matter, to prevent messages of hatred and racism, which they experience all the time.- Social media users of all colors could also share a post to show their solidarity.- We also gave users the opportunity to anonymously share personal and important stories of when they felt unsafe. Which helped us create additional PR messages.
Outcome:
Tier 1: In the first week alone, and with no paid support:- Over 40K unique visitors.- Over 20M media impressions.- Coverage: Fast Company, Mashable, Mic, Bustle, Huffington Post, International Business Times, Yahoo, The Drum, Diverge, Little Black Book, The Grio, News One, Daily Caller, PJ Media, Heat Street, TeleSur, L’AND, Atlanta Black Star, and many more.- Participation from celebrities Russell Simmons (co-founder of Def Jam, CEO of Rush Communications), Talib Kweli (hip-hop recording artist, entrepreneur, social activist), Janet Mock (writer, TV host, transgender rights activist, author of New York Times bestseller Redefining Realness, and contributing editor for Marie Claire) and Eric Haywood (screenwriter of Empire, Private Practice, Soul Food, Relative Stranger and director of Four Hearts).Positive reactions from mainstream media: - “A form of protest.” - Newsone- “Black Lives Matter protesters played a key role in the wake of President Trump’s immigration ban, helping to mobilize against the executive order.”- Fast Company- “A poignant twist on the Safety Check” – Bustle- “Symbolizes the general sense of fear plaguing Black Americans.”- Huffington Post Tier 3:This campaign put Black Lives Matter on Fast Company’s list of the world’s most innovative companies in 2017.
Relevancy:
With zero media buy, we strategically used PR to launch and spread the story on social platforms (Twitter and Facebook). A PR plan that carefully included key publications such as Fast Company, Mashable, Huffington Post and many others as well as key influencers. With the goal to raise awareness, build empathy, engage users and help them take action against the social injustices that impact Black America.