Challenge
When Special Olympics Maryland and the Maryland State Police approached us about taking over the marketing for the Polar Bear Plunge they had already built a large following and had successfully raised a lot of money for a great cause. The problem was: the growth had stagnated, and they needed someone to help jumpstart the event. Our job was to learn about what motivates people to participate in The Plunge and develop a brand and a campaign that would attract more plungers and increase donations to the Special Olympics.
Insight
We all knew that the real heroes of the Special Olympics Maryland are the athletes…but as we spent time with the organizers and spoke to plungers we realized that they saw themselves as heroes as well.
Idea
The Species of the Chesapeake
We married the idea that there were all different types of “hero” plungers with the fact that this only happens once a year (much like a migration) and came up with a David Attenborough style voice to inspire people to imagine what type of plunger they would be.
Results
- 40% increase in donations to over $2.5M
- Largest Plunge participation to date
- 10% increase in social following
- 100% increase in Facebook engagement
- ADDY Awards: Public Service Integrated Campaign; Public Service Digital Advertising; Illustration