In early 2023, our team was tasked with helping to revamp Verizon Business Group's social handles for two sub-brands: Verizon Business, serving Small, Medium, and Enterprise businesses and government agencies; and Verizon Frontline, for First Responders in Public Safety. Our goal was to align with the new brand strategy, "It's Your Business, It's Your Verizon," injecting personality, warmth, and trust into the brand’s presence.
Customer research revealed that despite the ubiquitous recognition of the iconic red check mark, Verizon was viewed as distant, cold, and increasingly irrelevant. We recognized the need to humanize the brand and establish trust in a way, especially in the social media sphere. This would require lockstep coordination with our clients on a shared vision to bring to the greater organization, educating as we went and showing what the future of the channels could look like.
And so, we set out on our journey to signal a new era of the brand in an effort appropriately named: Project Elevate.
Our ambition was to build trust by demonstrating what it means to be a partner to businesses, organizations, and first responders. It wouldn’t be enough to repeat the word “partnership” ad nauseam, we had to live it completely in every piece of content.
To achieve this, we defined three core themes that would thread through both sub-brands, ensuring consistency, while allowing for unique expression:
Our sights were set.
To make as quick an impact as possible, we leveraged our global network, collaborating seamlessly with our creative partners in South Africa to maintain nearly round-the-clock productivity in both time zones. Working within a 7hr time difference wasn’t easy, but the camaraderie was effortless. The inextricable connection between creative and strategy is where the magic really happened. Pair that with the trust and support of our clients, and we were running.
Before we knew it, we were producing dynamic, visually stimulating, and engaging content, and planning our first production, all while learning the intricacies of the business, getting a crash course in deep technical subject matter and swiftly translating it into social posts that contextualized the true customer benefits of partnering with Verizon.
We leaned far into partnership, showcasing what it looked like when you had the strength of the Verizon network behind you. Whether spotlighting partnerships with renowned figures like Milkbar’s Christina Tosi or showcasing the transformative impact on small businesses through initiatives like Verizon’s Small Business Digital Ready program, we demonstrated the power of partnership fueled by Verizon’s network.
We highlighted the benefits of Verizon’s innovative technology like the time-saving capabilities of Cashierless Checkout enabled in NFL stadiums, or how first responders can mitigate risk with groundbreaking solutions like RED, the Robotic Emergency Dog, enhancing safety for their teams.
We made strides in establishing Verizon’s expertise in cybersecurity with the launch of The Verizon Business Intelligence Briefing, featuring internal subject matter expert Chris Novak and Center for Internet Security’s Tony Sager. Released during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we simplified complex and pressing cybersecurity concerns in a conversational, actionable format at a critical moment.
These are just a mere few examples that completely revolutionized the look and feel of the feed, bringing humanity, personality, visual differentiation, and renewed life to the content. We’d successfully signaled a new era.
In the first month alone, we saw remarkable year-over-year engagement rate increases across both sub-brands. Verizon Business witnessed a staggering 340% surge, while Frontline saw an impressive 249% spike. These results exceeded our expectations, fueling our determination to continue pushing boundaries.
Our Intelligence Briefing campaign made a significant impact, amassing over 4M impressions across various platforms, including LinkedIn, Meta, Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube with an extension of a dedicated landing page on verizon.com. Most notably, we achieved a staggering Video Completion Rate of 17%, surpassing benchmarks by 303%, resulting in a total of 425K video completions — a noteworthy feat in an age of fractured attention spans.
Despite the ever-present fluctuating dynamics of the social media landscape (Twitter/X, looking at you), we persevered and kept our sights onward and upward. By year-end we achieved an outstanding 59% increase in year-over-year engagement rates for Business and an impressive 163% increase for Frontline. Further, we successfully gained 25,000 followers on LinkedIn, 2,000 on Instagram, and 4,000 on Facebook.
In just the first year of this partnership, we’ve elevated the brand to new heights, laying a strong foundation for future growth. As we refine our focus and expand outwardly into culture, we’re energized by the possibilities ahead.
