To support the 75th year anniversary of the Arthritis Foundation, the nonprofit organization has launched a fully integrated creative, social media, marketing and public relations campaign with leading marketing, advertising and public relations agency Mower. As part of the campaign, Mower secured commitment for more than 50 iconic buildings and monuments in 22 states to go green in support and has already seen impressive campaign results, including a 50% increase in website traffic and more than 350.7 million media impressions.
The campaign is relevant to a large audience as nearly 60 million adults and 300,000 children live with arthritis, the number one cause of disability in the U.S. Full campaign efforts can be found below.
From left to right, Empire State Plaza in Albany, Gov. Mario M Cuomo Bridge in New York, and City Hall in Boston.
The Vision
This awareness campaign, entitled “We Journey Together” was designed to raise awareness about the Arthritis Foundation, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to serving those affected by arthritis, and the many resources they offer. “We Journey Together” is meant to be a guiding principle, promising those experiencing arthritis, either directly or indirectly, that the Arthritis Foundation’s mission is to support them on whatever journey life takes them.
The Execution
Developed following in-depth market research, brand strategy and creative development, the fully integrated campaign features a diverse mix of digital and traditional media spotlighting everyday people living their lives with arthritis. Traditional and buzz-worthy PR efforts have also been implemented, including press releases, media pitching and invitations to iconic locations across the U.S. asking them to show support by lighting up green, the signature color for the Arthritis Foundation. Broadcast media have been targeted to wear green, including an Arthritis Foundation pin, and show locations in their markets that have been lit up in green. Arthritis Foundation executives and individuals living with arthritis have been tapped for coverage to raise awareness of the research and resources that are available at arthritis.org.
The Creative
For this campaign, Mower’s creative team developed a collection of digital and traditional ad placements using the campaign’s slogan “We {Journey} Together” and the organization’s signature green coloring. The word inside the brackets is meant to be replaced with various activities, such as walking, dreaming, sharing, celebrating, traveling and growing, among others. Everyone’s journey with arthritis is different and the campaign’s creative reflects that messaging.
*The graphic of the runner on bottom is a Mower employee who is living with arthritis and worked directly on this campaign.
The Results to Date
Although the year-long campaign has just kicked off, 52 locations in 22 states have already lit up green for arthritis, including the 1 World Trade and Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in New York, Willis Tower in Chicago, Empire State Plaza in Albany, and City Halls in Boston, San Francisco and Baltimore, as well as the waterfalls at Niagara Falls in Buffalo and Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, among others.
After just one month of campaign effort, arthritis.org traffic increased by 50%, the “We Journey Together” landing page traffic tripled, and website leads generated increased by 60%.
The press release announcing the campaign launch was distributed on May 6 and has generated 350.7 million media impressions to date from 68 media outlets.
