In 2017, to celebrate their 175 anniversary, the GSC’s Historical Society wanted to share those stories with the world. But they had two problems: (1) no budget and (2) a market flooded with Canada 150 initiatives. How could they possibly cut through the noise to compete against million-dollar corporate campaigns designed to bring Canada’s rich history to life?
Young Canadians are particularly drawn to experiential travel, and like to share special moments via Instagram.
We mapped the most frequently tagged Canadian locations on Instagram, and researched and wrote hundreds facts for these locations. Then, when one of our locations was tagged by Instagram users, the @geostories account responded with a comment specific to that area in real-time.
We created several Instagram accounts for key figures from throughout the Geological Survey’s long history so that users could continue their experience and get more information about the facts the received. Each geologist profile was linked to their updated Wikipedia page.
The sentiment was 95% positive on Instagram—an outstanding feat considering that users were, essentially, being spammed.
Gold, WARC Awards, Effective Social Strategy, 2018
Quirky Instagram history project could hold a lesson for digital marketers
Boring product + no budget = effective social campaign
— WARC
6.3M impressions
95% positive sentiment on Instagram
My role; Art Direction, ux, design & animation
