During the early days of the pandemic, Visible launched the #VisibleActsofKindness campaign to encourage and drive conversations and acts related to kindness. But that wasn’t all! Through social listening, Visible also directly reached out to over 1000 people who were impacted by COVID, to offer financial support, while further sparking positive dialogue and bringing communities together in thanking those on the frontlines of the pandemic.
As the world began to adjust to the rapid repercussions of COVID-19, we immediately saw how far-reaching the effects of the pandemic truly were: from healthcare workers working tirelessly on the frontlines, to teachers and students navigating a shift to virtual learning, to family members and friends simply wanting to celebrate birthdays and key milestones, the pandemic intimately affected every single person in the world. In the face of insurmountable uncertainty, we began to navigate the unknown together, and soon enough something positive emerged: people were using social media to inspire acts of kindness.
Social media users were stepping up to help those that were financially affected by the ban on public spaces, and Visible started taking notice. Visible has always put community and connection at the forefront of their mission, and the leadership team believed that it was more important than ever before to showcase this. By partnering with key influencers to highlight people on the frontlines of the pandemic the goal was to thank community members with a surprise of $250 gift cards, pledging $250K in support.
With people seeking connection more than ever before, Visible saw an opportunity to bring communities together (virtually) in an impactful way. In under 48 hours, Visible’s senior leadership designed and launched #VisibleActsofKindness.
Visible partnered with social influencers with highly engaged audiences on Instagram and Twitter who established a clear dialogue with their audiences around the pandemic. Each partner was hand picked because of their unique ability to use their voice to connect with their audiences to find comfort, support and a sense of community during the pandemic. Their communities had been permanently impacted by COVID-19 and these partners were there not only to listen, but to take action and help. Visible saw an opportunity to aid each partner to do more with #VisibleActsofKindess.
#VisibleActsofKindness partners encouraged their members and nonmembers to share their personal stories and acts of kindness for others, and to tag someone they know in the service industry deserving of a collective thank you. Visible would then direct message 1,000 of these tagged people and thank them with $250 gift cards, pledging $250K in support.
Visible’s partners were activated in phases, allowing Visible to not only gauge audience sentiment towards sponsored content, but to also leave time to adjust messaging and target as the pandemic shifted from day to day.
In phase one, Visible activated it’s tried and true partners that have been using their platforms to speak out for those in need. These partners were selected because of their high engagement, great relationship with their audience, and ability to elicit thoughtful dialogue with individuals in their comments section.
In phase two, Visible activated its partners who are parents, teachers and small business owners and have prompted dialogue around the COVID-19 pandemic. #VisibleActsofKindness posts from these influencers fit seamlessly and authentically into their existing content.
In phase three, Visible used social listening to pinpoint influencers that were vocal and active on social media, particularly surrounding the pandemic. The brand did not have an existing relationship with these influencers, but they were chosen because their core messaging is in line with Visible’s values.
Visible engaged partners with a collective following of ~11M+
Tank Sinatra (2.7M followers), Creator of Influencers in the Wild and Tanks Good News
Dan Levy (2.2M followers), Writer of and Actor in Schitt’s Creek
Jana Kramer (2M followers), singer and actress
Padma Lakshmi (980K followers), Host of Bravo Top Chef, Author, Activist and Model
Emeril Lagasse (375K followers), celebrity chef
PK Subban (1M followers), professional ice hockey defenseman for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League
Candace Parker (675K followers), professional basketball player for the LA Sparks of the WNBA
Brunch Boys (466K followers), food blogger and influencer
Joe Flamm (44K followers), Top Chef winner
New York Nico (425K followers), documentary filmmaker
Christine Yi (260K followers), food and travel content creator
Michael Voltaggio (190K followers), American Chef
In a matter of days, Visible received over 13,000 stories and distributed gift cards directly to those impacted, totaling $250K, a surprise to those who shared their stories of kindness, and encouragement for others to start spreading kindness themselves.
In total, the campaign generated more than 5.5M impressions and nearly 2M genuine, meaningful engagements. Brand sentiment on Visible’s social media increased by 40%.
