Upworthy believes in the power of a well-told story to change minds and change the world. Not only have we pioneered social-purpose media, but we have been able to use our ability to tell powerful, empathetic stories, combined with a data-driven approach, to build the largest concentrated audience of educated, affluent millennials who give a damn. We know the difference between the video that gets 1,000 views and 10 million — and the difference between getting lost in the noise and getting people to react and engage.
Upworthy and Red Robin partnered to illustrate the restaurant’s extraordinary commitment to inclusivity through empathy. For this video, we focused on the Braille menu — an element not often top of mind in the service industry. Red Robin has championed inclusivity for years and this menu is a way for their customers with disabilities to order for themselves, often for the first time ever. With the goal to raise awareness about the need for inclusivity and position Red Robin as a leader in this space, we captured an authentic, emotional story and shared it with our engaged audience.
To accomplish our goals, we created a video showcasing Red Robin’s commitment to inclusivity for all customers. In partnership with STARS (Social, Therapeutic, Academic and Recreational Services), a program that teaches young people how to live with vision loss, we connected with real people with disabilities who, as a result, face challenges with everyday tasks. This strategy of human-first storytelling with a real organization that is working to reduce the gap in services creates empathy among viewers and drives action. Utilizing Upworthy’s best practices for video production and optimization, we captured and shared the video on our social channels, resulting in brand favorability and positive audience engagement.
708K+ views
1.35MM+ social impressions
32K+ social engagements
Increase of 11.52% in brand perception
Heartwarming stories not only engage customers, but also create greater loyalty and retention among employees. So many of the comments on the video were those of people sharing their own stories of living with impaired vision — or the experience of someone they know — all championing Red Robin and the STARS program for their wonderful work. Beyond this story, we found that Red Robin has an authentic connection to local communities and real stories that evoke brand love, with opportunities to elevate more stories of inclusivity within the restaurant’s community.
