help wanted: historic women of tech to fight gender bias today.

History has often overlooked the achievements of women in tech, science, and entertainment. Today, not enough has changed, with women holding just 24% of jobs in tech and entertainment industries. So when the Verizon Future Fund was created to support emerging female talent in these fields, we started the conversation by bringing back pioneers of the past, to connect with and rally tech leaders of the future. And we did it where it was needed most: the go-to platform for careers, LinkedIn.

true calling.

As Verizon offered new discounted plans to first responders, nurses, teachers and all those who serve, we knew how important it was to also repay them with recognition and respect. Not with an ad for Verizon, but with an honest and heartfelt approach: a five-part documentary series featuring stories of sacrifice, bravery and courage. And in the backdrop of it all, the world was going into lockdown while they were going into action—further emphasizing that service truly calls the best of us.

1983 called…
they want their phone back.

In 1983, Verizon and Motorola came together to make the first mobile phone call on the first wireless network. Coincidentally, in 2019, Verizon and Motorola came together for another milestone: launching the first device on the first 5G network. What’s even funnier? They decided to begin selling it on one of the least-trusted (but one of the most-fun) news days in Social Media: April Fools’ Day. By the end of the day, we created one of the most-liked and most-shared pieces of content the brand had done to date (and picked up some nice silverware along the way.)

Let them
Tweet cake.

On October 29, 2019 the internet was turning 50. And as a brand that prides itself on connecting people to the things they love, it was the perfect moment for us to celebrate it in the most internet-y way: by asking the internet to help us 3D print user-generated cupcakes in real-time—and live-streaming the whole thing on Twitter. Every tweet and reply would power a 3D food printer in our studio to create custom cupcakes throughout the day. It was such a hit that, even without paid media support, we reached unprecedented engagement for the brand with over 700k impressions in only 3 hours.

Loyalty from the ground Up.

To build equity, excitement and awareness of Verizon’s new loyalty program Verizon Up, we simply started with its most exciting benefit: the once-in-a-lifetime experiences you get just for being a customer. The challenge on Social was two-fold: How do you entice members who are at these events to share their experiences? And then, how do you get our social followers who weren’t there to feel the FOMO? Our answer: Moments of Freakout. Our on-the-ground teams captured the moment immediately after each experience—every stutter, stammer, scream and speechless moment from Verizon Up members— and combined it with footage from their phones to create ongoing content for the program.

Inside 5G.

In a year where everyone was talking about 5G but no one understood it, we took a different approach. While a majority of the advertising was announcing that 5G was finally here, most people simply didn’t know what it meant for them. We saw an opportunity on social to go deeper by using long-form content on IGTV to educate our audience—and provide an inside look at how 5G will change technology and impact their lives in a relevant way.