The Arthritis Foundation Turns a Community Icon into a a National Social Activation
In May 2025 the Arthritis Foundation, with partners Mower and BRG Communications, launched Green Heart Fridays during Arthritis Awareness Month, transforming the community's beloved green heart icon into a nationwide, participatory social media activation. With no paid media budget, the campaign drove record-breaking organic growth, national earned media reach and visible public engagement.
Challenge
Arthritis affects nearly 60 million adults and children in the U.S. and is the nation’s leading cause of disability. Yet it's widely underestimated and stereotyped rather than seen as a serious, life-altering disease.
As a result, many people living with arthritis feel unseen and unsupported outside the arthritis community as they deal with pain and limitations to their daily lives.
Objective
In 2025 the Arthritis Foundation’s goal was to establish Green Heart Fridays as a recognized, repeatable national activation during Arthritis Awareness Month. With no paid media budget, it was built to grow through community participation, amplified by social and earned media.
We defined success through measurable visibility and engagement:
Ultimately, Green Heart Fridays was created to motivate visible, shareable expressions of support through the Foundation's green heart — making people with arthritis feel seen in their communities and across social media spaces.
Community Insight Drives Green Heart Fridays (Arthritis Awareness Month 2025)
The most powerful ideas are built from community expression. As we examined our social channels, we realized the foundation of our Arthritis Awareness Month platform was already there: the green heart.
Over time, the Arthritis Foundation's green heart had organically evolved into a symbol of connection and solidarity. It appeared in comments, captions, and stories as a quiet message of support — a way of saying, “I see you. You’re not alone.” Rather than introduce a new campaign device, we elevated a symbol our community already embraced.
Arthritis Awareness Month National Social Activation Strategy
The idea was simple: transform the popular "Free Art Fridays" movement into "Green Heart Fridays" during May. The call to action was equally simple: share a green heart each Friday in May.
Throughout Arthritis Awareness Month, the Foundation invited people nationwide to use the green heart to visibly demonstrate support for the arthritis community by:
The green heart — already embraced within the Arthritis Foundation's social community — became the connective thread. Participation was intentionally simple and accessible. New graphics and content were rolled out each week to keep the invitation fresh and top of mind.
In addition, a centralized landing page housed campaign details and curated real-time social activity, while ready-to-use assets, social media tools and messaging mobilized staff, volunteers and partners.
Found Art Activation in Priority Growth Markets
To build momentum and visibility in key regions, artists in 13 major U.S. cities placed original green heart artwork in public locations each Friday in May. These cities represented priority growth markets aligned with organizational objectives.
Each weekly drop was designed for discovery, photography, and social sharing. Artists teased locations through their social channels, prompting followers to search for and celebrate free green heart art in parks, libraries, trails, cafes, and community spaces. Each piece of art included a card with Arthritis Foundation information, connecting the mission to the moment.
Finders were encouraged to snap photos and share across social media, with Foundation social channels amplifying participation.
Earned Media and Influencer Amplification Strategy
As activity grew each week, coordinated media outreach amplified the activation nationwide.
With no paid media budget, the success of Green Heart Fridays depended on participation and amplification. By combining a national call to action, targeted regional activation and coordinated media outreach, Green Heart Fridays became a unified, repeatable platform that made support for the arthritis community visible across both public spaces and digital channels.
Quantitative Impact of Green Heart Fridays (Arthritis Awareness Month 2025)
With no paid media support, Green Heart Fridays delivered record-breaking national visibility, engagement, and participation — directly meeting and exceeding all campaign objectives and expectations.
Organic Social Impact
National Earned Media Reach
• 440M broadcast viewers reached nationwide
• 39 media stories across national and local outlets
• $4M estimated earned media value
Community & Influencer Engagement Metrics
• 3.7M influencer impressions
• 365,000+ influencer engagements
• 250+ pieces of user-generated content
• 73% engagement rate on the campaign landing page
Organizational and Arthritis Community Impact
These results reflect more than reach — they demonstrate measurable participation and engagement. Across social feeds, public spaces, and national media coverage, green hearts became a visible signal of support for people living with arthritis.
Green Heart Fridays now anchors the Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Awareness Month strategy, establishing a repeatable, scalable platform for generating national engagement without paid media investment.
