Verizon / 9/12
What happened on 9/11 is forever etched into our memories. Unknown to many, however, is what happened the next day—on 9/12. Just one block from Ground Zero, thousands of Verizon employees risked their lives and ran toward a crisis to help reconnect New York. So on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we honored those brave men and women from 2001, in a one-day, real-time virtual event, exclusively for Verizon employees.
SITUATION
September 11th is an annual day for many Americans to remember, reflect, honor, and mourn. Verizon wanted to also pay tribute to Verizon employees that went above and beyond in the minutes, hours and days after the attacks on 9.11.2021.
THE BRIEF
Commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in a way that’s authentic to Verizon.
OBJECTIVES
Get employees to feel proud to be working for Verizon with content that showcases Verizon’s role during 9/11.
INSIGHT
Just one block from Ground Zero, the day after 9/11, thousands of Verizon employees risked their lives and ran toward a crisis to help reconnect New York.
THE IDEA
9/12: A story that’s never been told, in a way that’s never been done.
EXECUTION
To deliver the virtual experience, we chose the most innovative form of communication from 2001—texting. We created a multimedia platform out of existing phone applications, leveraging every native tool within a text conversation. An invitation went out for users to join the event on 9/12 and throughout the day, participants were sent new texts every hour, at the times of day the events actually happened twenty years ago, putting them in the shoes of the employees who were there.
For the first time ever, we used Twilio-driven SMS technology to create an interactive narrative, making careful tweaks throughout production to ensure content was delivered at the right time and in the right order to remain historically accurate. AR and WebGL were also used to create the 3D scenes and buildings for users to explore and to visualize the extent of the structural damage to the Verizon headquarters. The previously untold stories of Verizon’s employees were delivered to a vast and well-engaged audience.
Over 300,000 MMS messages were sent out on the launch day alone. Mobile messaging became a unique and powerful storytelling tool that connected to users on an intimate and personal level.
On a day when most of the world could only watch, Verizon employees were there to help rebuild Manhattan. 9/12 pays tribute to the incredible resilience, courage, and willpower of the 14,000 Verizon employees who showed up and made a profound impact on our nation’s recovery in the aftermath of 9/11.
RESULTS
Exceeded employee engagement targets and also winner of countless creative awards.