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Cats in the Cradle Contest: A Community-Driven Digital Marketing Campaign

Overview

Long Island Cares, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing hunger and food insecurity in Long Island, New York. Established in 1980 by the late singer-songwriter and humanitarian Harry Chapin, Long Island Cares is the region's first food bank and continues to provide essential services to individuals and families in need.

The Cats in the Cradle Contest was a multi-channel marketing campaign designed to increase brand awareness, foster community engagement, and align Long Island Cares' mission with the local creative arts community. The campaign invited musicians from Suffolk and Nassau counties to showcase their talent by performing Harry Chapin's iconic song, Cats in the Cradle. It culminated in a professionally produced mashup video featuring all the performers, celebrating the community’s creativity while reinforcing Long Island Cares’ role as a vital community partner.

Role

Communications Specialist
Campaign Strategy and Planning
Content Creation
Merchandise Design and Branding
Paid Media Management

June 2024-July 2024

Case Study: Strategy and Execution

Goals

  1. Increase brand awareness for Long Island Cares within the local music and arts community.

  2. Generate user engagement across multiple platforms.

  3. Collect high-quality submissions from Suffolk and Nassau counties for the contest performance at the Harry Chapin Theater.

Strategies & Tactics
Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube

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Content Tactics

  • Dynamic Announcements: Created visually engaging posts and countdown videos to drive awareness and maintain momentum.

  • User-Generated Content: Encouraged community participation to amplify excitement.

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Engagement Highlights

  • Launch Post: Featured contest logo and CTA: “Submit Your Talent Today!”

  • Mid-Campaign Video: Showcased early submissions to sustain engagement.

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Creative Assets

  • Produced a mashup video celebrating all performers with branded transitions and music.

  • Designed exclusive merchandise and winner posters to honor participants and enhance branding.

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Paid Ads

  • Geo-Targeted Campaigns: Focused on Suffolk and Nassau counties.

  • Ad Formats: Carousel ads and video snippets to highlight contest details and build urgency.

  • Ad Phases:

    • Phase 1: Awareness and Submissions.

    • Phase 2: Deadline Urgency with retargeting strategies.

Results:

Key Metrics:

  1. Submissions: 11 high-quality entries from Suffolk and Nassau counties.

  2. Engagement:

    • 9000+ post impressions across platforms.

    • 6.48% increase on average engagement rate.

  3. Paid Ads Performance:

    • Reach: 12,000+ users.

    • CTR: 4.5% (above industry average).

  4. Video Impact:

    • The performer mashup video achieved over 1,200 organic views and became the centerpiece of the campaign's storytelling.

    • Positive feedback from performers and community members, reinforcing the organization’s role as a local community leader.

Samples of Work

1. Social Media Content

  • Post Examples

  • Overall Campaign Analytics

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Paid Ad Campaigns

Ad Examples and analytics

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Mashup Video

Final Deliverable: A montage of all participants’ performances, designed to celebrate Long Island's creative talent.

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