In 2018, Our fearless leader, founder and president- Wendy Verna, took some time to reflect on her upcoming birthday (50!) and decided to make that milestone count- for others. She decided that rather than have the attention centered on her and treating this birthday as just another celebration, she would instead turn it into an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around her. And the lives of those around those people. And so on. And so on.
In August 2018, exactly 50 days before Wendy’s big 5-0 hit, we launched a campaign for self-awareness and self-improvement, for the greater good, and the health of those we know, and those we didn’t yet know. We created an online community utilizing social media and our website, fittyin50.com.
We Love It When a Plan Comes Together; Assessing the Goals andTactics for the Project at Hand:
As a Marketing Firm, Octo generates awareness utilizing marketing tactics and tools for medium and large size companies each and every day, and we used the same tools and tactics for Wendy’s Fitty in Fifty campaign.
Wendy had a goal to have 10 individuals commit to be emotionally and physically fit within 50 days. With that goal clearly defined, we got to work on our strategy. We then took time as a team to understand the budget and time commitment needed for the Fitty in Fifty campaign’s success, including the personal time Wendy was able to allot to engaging with the audience in person and online. The creation of a realistic, attainable plan is what contributed to the campaign’s success.
Fitty in Fifty; A Mission for Health & Overall Happiness:
A 50 day commitment to physical, emotional and mental fitness in honor of Founder and CEO Wendy Verna’s 50th birthday.
Those who know Wendy know that she is dedicated to her personal physical, emotional and mental fitness, and makes her personal health a priority every day. With the Fitty campaign, Wendy’s goal was to share that commitment to personal health, in the hopes of inspiring and challenging others to be their best personal selves.
Branding the Experience:
Octo’s goal with the branding of Fitty in Fifty was to capture the spirit and message of the campaign visually. Utilizing clean, modern type with a playful edge, and a minimalist color palette, Octo was able to convey the overall message of health and fitness.
Where’s Wendy:
Octo created the sub-brand for “Where’s Wendy” for use on geotagged social media posts of Wendy’s activities and engagement with the Fitty in Fifty community. The logo was based off of Wendy’s signature white baseball cap, which she wears religiously while working out.
Getting Active Outside:
Fitty in Fifty Digital Billboards:
Octo ran a series of Digital billboards featuring the Fitty in Fifty campaign with Outfront Media toward the last few weeks of the campaign to generate more web traffic and engagement across our social media.
The billboards featured various black and white portraits of Wendy, and were designed to emulate the style of the then controversial Colin Kaepernick Nike ads. Fittyin50.com saw an uptick in web traffic during the period which the billboards were displayed.
#GettinFITTYWitIt; Engaging an online community:
Fitty in Fifty Website:
The Fitty in Fifty website served as the main hub for the online community, with a countdown to Wendy’s big day, video content, an events calendar, social media feeds, and commitment testimonials from community members.
The arc of engagement on fittyin50.com was what was expected as we began pushing out content via social media. The site was initially launched in August of 2018, and saw a spike in engagement as we started pushing out blogs and social media posts going into September. As the campaign wound down, we saw a lower engagement in October, which was expected due to the nature of the campaign.
Instagram:
The best performing Instagram posts for Fitty in Fifty were graphically represented engagement questions, using a significant amount of hashtags. What Octo was able to gather from this is that the quantity of time that people spend on Instagram reviewing posts is very short. In order to maximize engagement on this platform, content needs to be clear, concise and within the image (as shown below). Instagram is an image-based platform, and viewers are not necessarily taking the time to read through captions.
To further boast the use of hashtags, Fitty in Fifty’s Instagram following grew organically via their use, which we were able to determine by the fact that a large portion of our following had no previous connection with Wendy or Octo.
Facebook:
As predicted, Facebook’s activity was much more personal/tied to Wendy’s social and professional circles than that of Instagram. To that point, the top posts on Facebook had much longer caption content and were directly related to Wendy and her Fitty in Fifty journey, as opposed to the general fitness and health posts showcased on Instagram. Blogs were also much more successful (in terms of click-throughs) via this platform. This led us to determine that Facebook was a better vehicle for more lengthy, in-depth content – reaching those willing to invest significantly more time in learning about Fitty in Fifty.
Additional tools:
Octo chose to utilize both traditional and non-traditional marketing to accomplish Wendy’s campaign goal. In addition to social media outreach, the website and our billboard campaign, Octo also utilized the following marketing tools:
Video Content
Strong Photography
Email Campaigns
Public Relations (Press Release)
Events- (Campaign close event, special workouts)
Personal Outreach- (Proposing the challenge to local gyms, etc, as well as emailing personal connections)
Promotional Materials (Octo created custom wrist bands to promote Fitty in Fifty)
Partnerships with local Gyms and Wellness Coaches (Palangi, Orange Theory, Solid Core, Passion Cycle, Sweat)
Promotional wristbands given out through campaign.
Conclusion & Results:
While some of the impact of the Fitty in Fifty campaign is immeasurable by statistics, overall, we felt the campaign’s positive effects through our social media engagement, our Fitty commitments and event participation, and personal notes of positivity and change received by Wendy.
Proof in Numbers:
With Wendy’s original goal of touching 10 individuals in mind, we know for sure at least 8 people made a significant change in their lives due to the Fitty in Fifty campaign from testimonials and notes received from participants:
A total of 63 pounds was lost, collectively by participants.
1 smoker quit.
An unhealthy relationship was ended.
A new career path was embarked on.
Two new gym memberships were purchased/used.
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