The divide between communities and law enforcement has never been wider. When Axon, a business unit of Taser International, came to us looking for a way to convene a conversation with the community at large, we created the #WHYISERVE campaign. The campaign allows those who serve, in order to make our communities safer and stronger, a platform to share and celebrate their stories.
As the global leader in body-worn cameras and digital evidence management technology, Axon delivers innovative solutions to support and protect both law enforcement and the people they serve. But they also believe that this is not enough. Strong, safe communities are the result of active involvement and participation by members of a community. Those who choose to serve—whether as a profession or as a volunteer – make up the fabric of these communities. By celebrating service, Axon hopes to highlight the important contributions individuals make every day to promoting safer, better communities—and to inspire others to serve.
Everyone who makes the personal decision to serve—police officer, fireman, volunteer, teacher, pastor —has a reason; someone or something that inspired them to make a commitment. It's their commitment—and the impact their service has on others—that can inspire others to serve.
To bring #WhyIServe to life, we sourced and developed the stories that are the heart and soul of the campaign. Once we'd determined the best medium for each of the stories, we built a microsite; developed Instagram channel; cast, produced and filmed two featured videos; interviewed and filmed law enforcement at IACP; interviewed, cast and wrote featured vignette stories; identified key influencers and created a digital influencer and celebrity outreach playbook; community and social management; developed editorial calendar and wrote all social posts; created a paid media playbook and managed paid on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; monitored daily media; compiled media outreach lists, drafted press releases and pitch documents; and conducted media outreach and pitching.
The common thread across all of the campaign elements was the use of the hash tag #WhyIServe, usually paired with a simple declaration and invitation to our audience to share their stories:
This is #WhyIServe
Why do you serve?
In a few short weeks—with a break for the holidays in the middle of our run—we saw:
