background
Each of our five influencers came from smaller communities within the larger community of St. Cloud. As a midsize metro that abuts a much larger metro (Minneapolis-St. Paul), St. Cloud is often shortchanged, such as in the case that it has no TV news station or major sports team — and thus fewer celebrities. As such, we dug into influencers within “micro communities,” where influencers’ reach is more effective and personal.
budget
Much of what H2You has been able to accomplish in public awareness has been done on a low budget consistent with a small, local nonprofit. As such, several grassroots, guerilla and experiential concepts have helped H2You reach larger audiences.
posts
Each influencer was asked to share from the H2You page their debut “model” photo, which mimics a Vogue-like magazine cover, along with a personal message begging to be responded to by their followers.
Secondly, influencers were asked to change their profile and cover photos, as well as share one behind-the-scenes video.
results
Organic reach was off the charts for the influencers who were active participants in conversations about their content. Mary Bruno and Nick Barth, in particular, had extremely active and engaged followers who did at least two of the following (like, comment and/or share).
In addition, follow-throughs to the H2You website increased by 20% compared to previous years' campaigns.
hear from my colleague
- I had the immense joy of working with Samantha on H2You's Clean Water Campaign "I'm A Model For Clean Water." As a wardrobe stylist and makeup artist it was so refreshing to have clear, detailed, realistic and organized instructions on the desired looks. She went above and beyond to make my job easier and made sure I understood her concept. Her communication skills are impeccable. Always a same day response to questions, she sent inspiration images, a color palette, background on the subjects personal styles, mood boards for the tone and feel of the project. Besides her attention to detail strength, it is obvious within a few moments of talking with Samantha that she is passionate and excited about her projects and what she does. That passion, when brought to the set of a project has such a great impact! Having an Art Director like Samantha on set, that brings positivity, excitement and a clear vision is key to a successful campaign.
— Tressie Scheider, wardrobe stylist and hair and makeup artist
