A recent referral found an old New York Times article that featured work we did on a city-wide domestic violence awareness campaign at Y&R.
Guess what I was talking about, even way back then? Yep. Strategy and customer insights. At least I’m consistent!
When I was in college at Clark University, I helped found a shelter for “battered women” -- an antiquated term for victims of domestic violence. When the opportunity came up at work to lead a pro bono project with the NYC mayor’s office, I jumped at the chance.
The author of the NYT article spent ample time noting that an agency known for creating “ads for fancy windows, drugs, and soda” would wrestle with such a sensitive and important topic.
“I jumped at the chance.”
You’ll notice there’s no mention of sales funnels, or inbound marketing, or even digital channels. But even back then, there was a measurable data point: a 14 percent lift in calls to the hotline in 60 days. We were able to track how effective our strategy was and the campaign’s impact on our target audience--a necessary element of any marketing initiative, pro bono or not.
I did get in a little trouble at Y&R for admitting that pro bono projects can feel more important than the work you do on paying clients’ businesses.
Regardless, my mom laminated the article anyway.
