Winner: Havas PR North America - #GivingTuesday
In response to the shopping season that begins with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the 92nd Street Y, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, launched #GivingTuesday to unite influencers, corporations and nonprofits to give back on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
In 2011, despite $300 billion in charitable donations, total dollars donated still hadn’t rebounded to pre-recession levels although holiday retail sales had increased at a rate of 3.3% per year. The team knew that many organizations needed help and that people were willing to give, especially if they could be reached where they live today: on social media.
The 2013 campaign was a coordinated conversation that raised support for causes worldwide. On Twitter alone, the #GivingTuesday hashtag trended across the country, on Dec. 3 for more than 10 hours straight, it was used in 300,000-plus tweets by more than 175,000 unique Twitter participants, and had more than 2 billion impressions on Twitter. On Facebook, there were more than 300 million impressions and likes grew by 25% during the week.
High-profile tweeters ranged from Bill Gates to the White House. The campaign garnered 1.3 billion media impressions in print, online and broadcast outlets worldwide. More importantly, the involvement of the United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Volunteers helped activate countless volunteer-led projects worldwide. In Jordan 200 volunteers launched a campaign for greener communities by planting trees; in Burundi, a blood drive was organized. In the U.S., successes ranged from the Case Foundation reaching its $75,000 match for nonprofits in just 25 minutes to the United Methodist Church raising $6.5 million.
Honorable Mentions:
- Coty - Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweet Shop
- IHG - Holiday Inn Express Stay Smart Campaign
- Marina Maher Communications - Head & Shoulders "Season of the #Whiff"
- Mullen - Century 21 Drives Industry-Leading Site Traffic with Highly Creative Social Content
- MWW/New Jersey Economic Development Authority - Stronger than the Storm: Social and digital help in shifting perception on NJ after Superstorm Sandy
- Quicken Loans - Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge
- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts - Disney Side of Social Media
- Weber Shandwick and Suave Professionals - Moroccan Infusion Launch