TURNING WEBBY WINNERS INTO OUR BEST RECRUITERS
The Webby Awards: Behind-the-Screens with a Webby Winner
THE CHALLENGE
Engagement was low and Story views were minimal. The Webbys' community had mostly been reached through sporadic viral videos that missed the creators the awards needed to reach.
The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, have celebrated internet excellence since 1997. The goal was to drive more entries, especially in the social and video categories, ahead of the Extended Entry Deadline on February 9th.
THE STRATEGY
Let past winners make the case. Creators with viral content and followings of up to 9.2 million would give their fans a look behind the screens, and show the next wave of creators what a Webby could mean for them.
THE EXECUTION
I approached the 20 Webby video and social winners with the largest followings and highest engagement, aiming for at least five takeovers. Six said yes.
I prepared promotional assets for their profiles, tagged them so they'd share the event with their communities, and set up the fan Q&A page. After each takeover, I edited a highlight Reel, asked the creators to reshare it, and posted it across TikTok, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Takeovers ran every other day, and we later added What's On Your Radar, sharing the Webby judges' picks. Together they kept fresh content flowing and put potential entrants in front of successful peers.
CALL FOR ENTRIES · POST
TAKEOVER ANNOUNCEMENT · POST
WHAT'S ON YOUR RADAR · POST
WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN · POSTThe campaign drove hundreds of thousands of dollars in entries through organic social alone.
THE RESULTS
The campaign engaged the existing community and drew in the fans of every participating creator. The response was immediate, and it reached exactly the people the Webbys needed: creators who had never entered before.
"Veronica is a true collaborator who brings incredible energy, ideas, strategic thinking, and smart experimentation to the table... a rare talent who is also gifted with great taste."