Objective

Miles for Smiles: Run 50 Strong was a display of turning passion into action. Smile Train supporters – Air Force pilot Jeremy Hough, his wife Kelly, and their teen daughters, Campbell and Caroline, ran a 5k in all 50 states (and Washington D.C.) in 50 days to spread light, hope, and awareness of an issue that affects millions – cleft lip and palate. Clefts are personal to the Hough family, as Campbell was born with one.

The campaign objectives were multifaceted:

• Connect emotionally with audiences nationwide, inspiring communities to turn their passion into action.

• Increase education and awareness about clefts, including their prevalence: every three minutes, a baby is born with a cleft somewhere in the world.

• Dispel myths: A cleft is not just a cosmetic issue – it can make eating, speaking, and even breathing difficult. Timely cleft care saves lives.

• Amplify Smile Train’s vision of a world where everyone has access to safe, high-quality, comprehensive cleft care.

• Drive media coverage, heightening Smile Train’s message in communities across the United States via the Hough family and their commitment to cleft awareness.

• Encourage supporters to run 5ks in solidarity with the Houghs.

• Promote Smile Train’s 25th anniversary, reinforcing the significance of the organization having supported 2+ million cleft surgeries.

Strategy

Research, planning, implementation, and ultimately, evaluation took center stage of our strategy for the Miles for Smiles: Run 50 Strong initiative. The approach focused on creating an impactful nationwide initiative while keeping the budget under $1,000.

Smile Train accomplished this with a targeted approach that entailed:

1. Creative Storytelling: Showcasing a compelling, real cleft-affected family to make the story more relatable to the public and our other stakeholders.
2. Providing Media with Readymade Content: We created targeted press releases for every city we pitched as well as a general release regarding the initiative, family photos, bios, and b-roll in advance and made the family available to media throughout the campaign to encourage coverage of Miles for Smiles.
3. Focused Media Outreach: We crafted personalized pitches for each market, leveraging interesting data points (e.g., the father’s military background, community connections, etc.) to make the story more appealing to local media. We also coordinated interviews and/or media placements in local and national print outlets, highlighting the campaign’s objectives and the Houghs’ personal story.
4. Encourage Community Involvement and Participation: The Houghs’ progress could be easily followed via Smile Train’s website.
5. Timing and Locations: Smile Train worked closely with the Hough family to map out the time and location of every run in each state. The 5k campaign kicked off on September 11th, which tied into the 9/11 attacks memory news cycle. Jeremy, an Air Force pilot who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, could speak to that topic while highlighting the campaign.

Execution: To achieve our objectives, we followed a structured process to ensure the campaign was goal-oriented, adaptable, and measurable from start to finish.

1. Define Objectives and Metrics: We began by identifying our primary goals—engagement and awareness—and established metrics to measure success, including total 5ks run, states visited, social media reach, and media placements.
2. Develop a Strategic Plan: Next, we created a comprehensive campaign plan. This included timelines, key messaging, targeted audiences, and outreach tactics.
3. Execute Promotional Efforts: We launched the campaign across multiple platforms, using social media and press outreach to generate excitement and encourage participation. We highlighted key messages about the cause and the impact of each dollar raised.
4. Track and Measure Progress: Throughout the campaign, we monitored our metrics in real time to assess engagement and make any necessary adjustments. This included tracking donations, monitoring social media analytics, and evaluating media coverage.

By following this process, we ensured that the campaign was goal-oriented, adaptable, and measurable from start to finish.

Results

After the campaign, we compiled and analyzed the data to assess success against our objectives. We reviewed performance against each metric and identified insights to refine our approach for future campaigns. Success was measured using several key metrics, specifically:

The quality and quantity of earned media coverage, including local and national mentions. We secured nearly 50 earned media hits, with a reach of nearly 1.3B and a media value of $11.9M.

Reach and impressions on social media platforms. Smile Train amplified the campaign on our owned social media channels and received hundreds of engaging responses from followers who expressed excitement and support.

Community involvement: Supporters followed the Hough family during their run via social media. Dozens joined the family at various locations to run with the family. Smile Train Celebrity Ambassador and HGTV designer Taniya Nayak joined the family while in Boston, Massachusetts. We received requests from organizations such as GoFundMe and the North Carolina Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital to partner for the endeavor.

Media

Video for The Hough Family's Miles for Smiles Campaign