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Back in 2019, Brands2Life conceived the Changemakers campaign that was to become LinkedIn’s most industry-award-nominated campaign ever.
Following a hugely successful first year – generating statistically significant uplifts in a number of key brand metrics, and taking the top spots in renowned industry awards for Influencer Marketing, Best Socially Responsible Initiative, and Best Long Term Strategic Use of Social Media – it’s back, it’s international, and this time, it’s on TV!
LinkedIn Changemakers is an ideal marriage of brand alignment and cultural relevance – tapping into the issues of the moment, and provoking participation (on the LinkedIn platform) in them. The second wave of the six-month programme launching this week once again has a collective of LinkedIn members, influencers and content creators at its heart. They’re each using their voices and values to drive conversations around the issues that matter the most to today’s workforce (as revealed through primary research) – and are pertinent to them individually too.
Planning for Changemakers 2.0 kicked off at the start of the year, when (perpetual pandemic pandemonium aside) the UK workforce was starting to show signs of optimism around what the future may hold for their careers and in their workplaces. Alongside the ever-important diversity and inclusion and sustainability priorities we knew were important, our research revealed newly emerging (but somewhat unsurprising given the circumstances!) topics on professionals’ agendas around job security and the future of work too. This year’s Changemakers were then selected aligned to eight priority topics with an agenda of driving conversations for change around them.
Meet the 2021 LinkedIn Changemakers, check out their stories, and learn what one thing they’d each like to change about the world of work.
This year, we were briefed to go bigger. What originated as a social, influencer-led campaign was to be evolved for TV and given the backing of big brand campaign.
Brands2Life created a suite of 20 videos (in multiple formats) to fuel a six-week national media campaign running across September and October on LinkedIn UK’s social channels and broadcast. The films use our Changemakers’ stories to spearhead #ConversationsForChange on LinkedIn, and as catalysts to drive target audience engagement and participation on the platform.
The films are set to the soundtrack of Nina Simone’s Sinnerman and as such, a donation has been made to the Nina Simone Charitable Trust. Simone left her rights to the charity that relies on these fees to fund its mission of educating Black children from Ghana, Liberia and South Africa in music. Alongside this legacy, Simone’s story as an activist around social and racial discourse, and her personal struggles with mental health, align closely with the Changemakers campaign mission of championing equitable access to opportunity and work for all – no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability.
The TVC will premiere on 10th September as part of a strategic partnership with Channel 4’s disruptive Black To Front initiative: 24 hours of programming dedicated to showcasing black talent in front of and behind the camera. Its objective of amplifying stories, and voices is the perfect forum for two of our Changemakers (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, co-founder of UK Black Pride, and Nicole Crentsil, CEO of Black Girl Fest) to be heard. Thereafter, broadcast TV activity will run across Channel 4 and Sky Media, including spots in The Great British Bake Off, key sporting moments such as the Premier League and Ryder Cup and much more. Ads will also be live across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Teads Global Media platform, and Spotify.
A series of special Squiggly Careers podcast episodes featuring all Changemakers is also coming soon.
Whilst planning for the second wave of the campaign in the UK, Brands2Life created a Blueprint of wave 1 to support LinkedIn in France, Germany and Australia in developing their own iterations – including sourcing, recruiting and onboarding local Changemakers aligned to the priority topics in their markets (also identified as part of our research).
Each market’s hero campaign film is aligned conceptually, opening with the line: “What’s the one thing you’d change about the world of work?”, however creative freedom was encouraged locally to ensure resonance in market.
The Brands2Life team is immensely proud of the LinkedIn Changemakers campaign.
From its early beginnings over a drink in a pub with the client as we pondered together the role of influencers on LinkedIn, to its UK influencer campaign roots, and now its international brand campaign status; not only has it been a hugely rewarding endeavour so far, but one that truly exemplifies how long-term agency/client relationships can really lead to something quite special.
The power of LinkedIn for content, community and conversation has never been so real – thanks to real LinkedIn members telling their very real stories and fuelling the #ConversationsForChange.
Stay tuned.
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Written by Rachel Evans, Associate Director, Digital Marketing & Social Media
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