GOING “ALL IN” AGAINST THE VIRUS.
Like most states, COVID-19 struck Wisconsin fast and fiercely. At no other time in history had our personal health and the health of our economy been more intertwined. The only way to get through this was to work together. Every single person, business and community in the state had to commit to going “all in” against the virus. That required going “all out” to get the word out. Working with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, we created the We’re All In statewide public information campaign. It let Wisconsinites in every corner of the state know that to move forward, we needed to have each other’s backs. And that adjusting our behavior wasn’t just the surest way to slow the spread of the virus, but the smartest way to get our lives and the economy back on track.
To elicit behavior change, showing people why they should do it is just as important as telling them how to do it
Spanning digital, social, print, experiential and much more, every execution in the campaign offered a unique glimpse of Wisconsin in a way that was highly meaningful to a transitioning service member, helping our audience envision how great their lives can be here.
Out-of-Home
Social Media Ads
AS THE PANDEMIC EVOLVED, SO DID OUR MESSAGE.
At the beginning of the pandemic the media was full of fear-based mixed messages on what to do. So we focused Phase 1 of the campaign on educating Wisconsinites how to slow the spread through six simple behavior changes. Our tone was approachable and clever, helping citizens and businesses not only feel confident they knew what to do, but also feel good about doing it. As the newness of the virus wore off and people started moving into a “COVID-fatigue” stage, we strategically evolved to Phase 2 of the campaign, focusing on the emotional reasons to keep practicing safe practices. Using real people and their “all in” stories provided a renewed sense of motivation and responsibility right when everyone’s patience was beginning to wear thin.
Knowing the virus and people’s emotional reaction to it would continuously evolve, we knew we had to create a flexible platform that could pivot with the pandemic.
RESULTS
USA Today ran a two-page story on how our campaign is successfully helping transitioning service members choose Wisconsin for their post-military lives.
Our Hiring Our Heroes events at military bases worldwide have resulted in 971 leads from active-duty soldiers, military spouses and veterans.