Generation Impact is a video series from the Garage by HP about cutting-edge young innovators who are using technology to create a more equitable world. Each film in the series aligns with HP’s CSR commitments, relating to climate change, equity and human rights, and their objective to inspire young people to embrace the spirit of innovation and pursue careers in science and technology.
The third film in the series, The Scientist, is about Emily Tianshi, a young woman striving to raise awareness and create solutions for the global water crisis. At age 13, Emily transformed her garage into a science lab to research San Diego’s unique Torrey Pine tree and uncovered how the tree’s unique needle structure enabled its survival through years of severe drought in California. Using a $20 microscope, Legos and various household items, she developed a prototype to harvest atmospheric moisture, which has the potential to produce water in areas of severe drought.
Tianshi has applied for a patent on the device she created and is also the founder of Clearwater Innovation, an environmental advocacy program that encourages student innovation to solve environmental problems. The film was released during Earth Week and reflects HP’s commitment to climate issues.
HP and agency Passion Point Collective used a 360-degree campaign strategy to launch Generation Impact: The Scientist on Earth Day, 2022, through earned, paid and owned channels.
The team collaborated with HP’s CSR team to work with the brand’s partners and align with the sustainability and impact goals relating to climate change. The film’s earned PR strategy included an exclusive trailer premiere on an entertainment outlet featuring new film trailers, media interviews with the film subject, Earth Day panels and reviews on press outlets related to film, the environment and youth. The PR plan specifically targeted Earth Day coverage, and then followed with PR surrounding Arbor Day and AAPI Heritage Month.
We worked with paid media partners Hearst and The Weather Channel to support the film through traditional and digital media, and non-profit partners Girl Rising and The Female Quotient to integrate the film into their Earth Day programming. A film festival strategy targeting 40+ international festivals with a focus on short documentary films, STEM and climate related content, AAPI stories and female filmmakers was activated.
The distribution strategy placed the film on HP content site The Garage, HP social channels and streaming on Indieflix, a VOD platform for social impact content. Custom content reels, carousels and social media toolkits were created for all stakeholders, partner organizations and climate/tech influencers to enable their support of the film.
Generation Impact: The Scientist was released in April, 2022 and the campaign has had the following results to date:
The film trailer had an exclusive premiere on film site comingsoon.net
Emily Tianshi, the film subject and STEM innovator, appeared on The Weather Channel broadcast PATTRN as part of their Earth Week coverage, discussing the film and her water harvesting device to help areas experiencing extreme drought. In addition to the broadcast segment, which ran twice during Earth Week, The Weather Channel ran the full film, trailer and interview on PATTRN.com, TWC’s content site devoted to climate change.
Earned media placements resulted in 11.6M impressions and included features on Seventeen.com, Good Day NY on Fox, Medium.com’s Authority Magazine, NBC Miami and CBS San Diego.
Good Day New York (Fox) named Emily “Hero of the Day” on Earth Day and featured the film during the broadcast.
Seventeen.com ran an editorial article with the full film and a paid ad campaign starting on Earth Day.
Social media results included a reach to 1.4M, with 94 elements of user generated content, 5K+ social interactions and content partnerships with 12 tech and climate influencers on 30+ posts.
Emily joined The Female Quotient and HP’s Girl Saves The World program for aspiring female environmentalists and social entrepreneurs as an Earth Day panelist and program mentor. Emily also participated in Girl Rising’s Future Rising panel series.
To date the film has been accepted to four film festivals.
