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 10,000 views and 10 million — and the difference between getting lost in the noise and getting people to react and engage.
Truvia partnered with Upworthy to create a content series to show how a little bit of sweetness can go a long way. For this video, we focused on a human-interest story to connect with our audience through empathy and positivity. We were interested in elevating a culturally relevant topic as a way to align with a wider issue without polarizing our audience. We chose a story within the food industry to connect back to Truvia as a socially conscious brand, driving awareness and affinity for the products.
With our objectives in mind, we sourced the powerful story of Kazi Mannan and his restaurant, the Sakina Halal Grill. As an immigrant who is passionate about cooking and sharing food, Kazi took on the responsibility of feeding individuals in his neighborhood who are homeless. This story not only spotlights hunger and poverty, but also leads with human kindness in the context of immigrants — during a time when immigration is a highly contested issue. We captured the authentic interaction of Kazi with the people he feeds to show the true impact of his efforts, the real experiences of those facing poverty, and the power of sharing when we have a little bit extra. The video was distributed to Upworthy's nearly 12 million Facebook followers; 382,000 Instagram followers; and 200,000 + daily visitors to Upworthy.com.
1.3MM+ views
47.8K+ social interactions
3.7MM+ impressions
We engaged our active audience in sweet content that resonated with the human experience and drove awareness for Truvia. With Kazi’s story, we found the intersection of several important, topical issues — hunger, poverty, and immigration — and demonstrated how kindness can make a huge difference. While this might not be the solution to these systemic issues, opening the minds of audiences across the digital landscape to these conversations and, fueled by empathy, we’re creating the space to drive real change. We received positive engagement on social platforms, with our audience championing Kazi and others like him.
