Indeed partnered with actress and filmmaker Lena Waithe, her company Hillman Grad, and 271 Films to identify 10 up-and-coming BIPOC filmmakers investing $100,000 into each of their projects to create jobs and opportunities for BIPOC entertainment talent in front of and behind the camera.
Objective
Indeed created the "Rising Voices" program to tackle disparities across the entertainment industry. The brand wanted to help springboard the entertainment careers of BIPOC talent by creating a more equitable film industry by generating jobs and helping minority filmmakers build their networks. What's more, Indeed wanted to demonstrate the benefits of diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) to other industries.
Target Audience
Indeed's target for its campaign were people between 18 and 34 years old.
Creative and Media Strategy
Inspired by the insight that 74 percent of consumers prefer to see ads that match the content they are viewing, Indeed showed its films alongside other contextually relevant, high profile BIPOC film releases. In doing so, the brand helped raise the profiles of its filmmakers. Indeed also leaned on its program partners. This included Lena Waith, her company Hillman Grad, and 271 Films.
Indeed debuted its film during the summer's hottest film festival to build excitement amongst industry insiders. The brand drove additional awareness with 10 digital articles about the filmmakers on Variety. The films then debuted at the Tribeca Film festival, where Indeed hosted a panel discussion and networking event for the filmmakers to mingle with the program's celebrity mentors like Lena Waithe and key entertainment journalists.
To further supplement its campaign, Indeed took over the entire Oscars cinema pre-show in 125 theaters during the opening weekend of Jordan Peele's highly anticipated Nope film, screening it in its entirety. Furthermore, cuts of the films and behind the scenes content were distributed at scale during a summer long cinema and YouTube plan. A QR code on screen and in-lobby advertising drove people to the Rising Voice page on Indeed's site to watch the films in full.
Rising Voices has truly delivered on Indeed's mission, creating over 1,000 jobs for people who helped produce the films, including actors, camera-ops, sound-techs, and more. The films propelled the careers of its filmmakers, with 45 industry award wins to date. What's more, four films were entered for Oscars consideration. New opportunities have continued to come for filmmakers, like directing their own shows for Netflix, Showtime, and Disney.
Overall, the campaign delivered 2.6 billion impressions, reaching 60 percent of the target audience. Unaided consideration, Indeed's primary brand objective grew emphatically, with lifts between 15 to 49 percent per channel. There were also 52 percent and 69 percent lifts for the statements: "Indeed takes a stand on social issues" and "People of all backgrounds can find jobs on Indeed."
