VIRTUAL BOOTH & BRANDED CONTENT
FORD x ESSENCE FEST
In 2020, COVID-19 pushed ESSENCE Festival to go virtual. Pushing Ford do something… unprecedented: Translate the annual sponsor's typically captivating in-person experiential into a just-as-captivating online booth.
We couldn't just copy/paste concepts originally ideated for the IRL festival. We now had to consider the impact the pandemic was having on Black women.
So, I concepted Uplifted, a platform where Black women could celebrate themselves and support each other – a space for empowerment, validation, and affirmation.
A SPACE TO CELEBRATE
AND ELEVATE BLACK WOMEN
I had the opportunity to work not only with our internal creative and events teams, but also with a third-party vendor who brought the Uplifted booth to virtual life.
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Our digital space featured a full range of experiences: a main stage hosting live and on-demand video content; a photo booth and coloring "wall" for light, fun activities; immersive vehicle walk-arounds; and a VIP section for existing Ford owners.​
500,000+
UNIQUE VISITORS
Goal: 150,000
19,000+
REGISTRATIONS
Goal: 14,000
7,500,000
SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS
Goal: 1,500,000
FINDING OUR FOOTING WITH OUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
​As the entire world moved into the virtual sphere, so grew the concern for burnout. With so many digital spaces clamoring for attention, there was no guarantee our activation would gain traction.
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Through our collective efforts, Uplifted didn't just meet our engagement goals – we far exceeded them!
SETTING THE STAGE TO
BE PROUD OUT LOUD
In 2019, Ford needed captivating post-ESSENCE Festival content that would (1) extend its Paint the Future Proud activation and (2) seamlessly include the five creative influencers sponsored for the event.
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So I created Loud & Proud, a call to amplify the pride, talent, and magic Black women are often told to dim to make others more comfortable.
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We orchestrated a sit down between these five bomb-ass women in which they could share their real experiences while unabashedly hyping up themselves AND each other.
LOUD & PROUD
ON THE WEB
AND ON SOCIAL
We published Loud & Proud on Essence.com in September 2019. And we provided cut downs to our talent to help promote the content on social media.