Objectives

Citi's mission is to enable progress for our clients and for the communities we serve. We want to help people feel good and optimistic about what's next for them. Given that for the first time in US history, over half of the children in our public schools are from low-income families and childhood hunger is impacting 13 million kids across America – putting the next generation at risk for economic success – we needed to take action.

Citi partnered with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign because their singular mission is to ensure every child gets the food they need every day and they have proven solutions for how to end childhood hunger in America. As a core partner to No Kid Hungry leveraging our resources and massive customer base as the world's largest Financial Services brand and credit card issuer, we have supported them by transforming the everyday actions of our customers – from swiping your card for take-out to sharing a social post to cheering for your favorite team – into millions of meals for kids in need.

As Citi set forth to support this mission, they identified Instagram as a primary media channel to distribute its message. Instagram surfaced as the optimal channel due to its audience reach, influencer presence, and the visual canvas it provided Citi to tell its story in a meaningful way, to help us spread awareness of the issue and drive donations to No Kid Hungry.

Strategy and Execution

Given the importance of Instagram, Citi developed a social-first strategy that guided the creative to come to life through social best practices. This included thumb-stopping visual techniques, emotional hooks, simplified messaging, and influencer integration. Citi culminated its approach into a manifesto:

Making a stranger smile. Holding the door for your neighbor. Dropping a few extra dollars in the tip jar. They all create feelings of joy — a warm glow of optimism that surrounds you and those around you. We call it "That Giving Feeling," and it's positively contagious. Citi and No Kid Hungry give everyone the chance to feel it through various programs. With every meal out, home run, birdie, etc., we created a virtual tidal wave of generosity, giving kids across America the same kind of joy. The joy of a nutritious meal, a stronger community, and a brighter future.

With Instagram at its core, Citi added owned properties, existing relationships, and new partnerships to build a comprehensive communication ecosystem. This holistic approach not only allowed Citi to spread the word, it also empowered a network of influential voices to speak out. Collectively, the ecosystem provided an ever-present media mix for Citi to convey its message during meaningful moments, delivered by impactful personalities.

Citi supported the following creative executions and events that all strive to capture That Giving Feeling:

Dine & Do Good Creative

• Instagram:
  • Social-first videos promoted on Citi's Instagram handle, in feed and in stories
• Content:
  • Citi partnered with Thrillist to create a 5-episode social video series. The episodes featured different chefs across the country to highlight their success stories, food philosophies, and involvement with No Kid Hungry. They were promoted across Thrillist social channels (Thrillist, No Leftovers, Food & Drink) and shared on the chefs' personal social handles.
• Digital:
  • High-impact takeover on New York Times Sunday homepage
  • High-impact display placements on Mets' digital properties
  • Additional run-of-site banners and pre-roll videos
  • Placements on Citi-owned channels:
  • Accounts Online
  • Action-driving emails to Citi cardmembers, encouraging them to enroll their cards
• Print:
  • Large-scale OOH takeover in the LA Grove outdoor shopping mall
  • Large-format posters at Citi Bike stations throughout New York City
  • POS Takeover at the New York Mets' baseball park, Citi Field.

Sports Partnerships Creative

• Instagram content developed to spread the word with the New York Mets, Dallas Mavericks, and Pro Golfer Justin Thomas

Influencer & Celebrity Support

• BuzzFeed Tasty videos featuring Kristen Bell and Jordana Brewster
• Awareness videos featuring restaurateur Danny Meyer
• TODAY Show activations featuring on-air talent Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and more
• Musical performances at Taste of the Nation, featuring Betty Who, Caitlyn Smith, X Ambassadors, and the Shadowboxers

Results

Instagram Performance Results

-3-point lift in Association of Citi with No Kid Hungry's efforts

-3-point lift in Ad Recall for Citi's Dine & Do Good campaign for No Kid Hungry

-Over 27+MM impressions and 7+MM video views

-3x Citi's benchmark Dine & Do Good's in-feed video completion rate

-2x Citi's benchmark Dine & Do Good's Instagram Stories video completion rate + Citi's first Instagram-Story Carousel, which had the highest VCR

Overall Results:

-All of Citi's initiatives supporting No Kid Hungry this year have provided 32.5 million meals. Collectively over the full partnership, Citi has now donated a total of 132+ million meals.

-A record number of Citi cardmembers enrolled their cards to support the Dine & Do Good program. Nearly 600,000 cardmembers, up 31% YOY

-16,844,008 Video Views across all campaign

-60,085,709 Impressions across all campaigns

Other Brand Study Results

-Thrillist:

o +12% Point increase in Brand Favorability for Citi after exposure to content (1.4x benchmarks)

o +11% Point increase in Application Intent for any Citi financial product after exposure to content (1.5x benchmarks)

o +49% Point increase in Brand Association with No Kid Hungry for Citi (1.6x benchmarks)

-BuzzFeed Tasty:

o +65% Point increase in Brand Association with No Kid Hungry for Citi

o +17% Point increase in Favorability for Citi after exposure to content

o +11% Point increase in Perception of Citi, based on their partnership with No Kid Hungry

Media