Forrester Groundswell Awards

Past Winners

2008 Winners

2007 Winners

Groundswell Awards Rules

Creating a Social Movement by Encouraging Conversation: Just Look for UL

View Larger Image

Creating a Social Movement by Encouraging Conversation: Just Look for UL

By MS&L

Using online and mobile tools, the "Just Look for UL" Sweepstakes created a safety movement and a groundswell of chatter by encouraging a new generation of consumers to spread the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety message.

While baby boomers and manufacturers are familiar with the iconic UL Mark - a seal of approval in product safety - younger generations had limited awareness of UL's role in helping safeguard their homes. With "Just Look for UL," the company was able to create a new generation of consumers who only purchase products with the UL Mark and start a "safety movement" by encouraging new mothers to spread the UL safety message.

The digital program was rooted in the seemingly simple task of finding and recognizing the UL Mark. Through the "Just Look for UL" sweepstakes, consumers were encouraged to submit photos of products bearing the UL Mark to UL@safetyathome.com, or the 707070 mobile short code. They could also enter by completing an online form at http://safetyathome.com/safety-movement/sweepstakes/ for a chance to win daily digital camera give-aways and a grand prize of $10,000 in UL certified products.

The new mom target spends significant time online looking for helpful tips, inside information and to stay connected to other moms. So we created a dedicated micro-site - www.safetyathome.com - to serve as a central hub where moms could gather safety information and insights. More than 100,000 unique visitors went to the site, which continues to engage new moms daily through the safetyathome blog.

MS&L moved the safety conversation through social media outlets such as AOL, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon.com and Flickr to spark the conversation among consumers about holiday home safety. On Facebook, UL hyper-targeted consumers by placing Just Look for UL ads on home pages of consumers who matched the target profile and created a Safety at Home UL Facebook Fan Page that attracted nearly 1,500 members. Ongoing dialogue took place on Twitter with 480 followers, and digital ads appeared on targeted sites such as Caf' Mom and BabyCenter.com.

The hunt for the UL Mark became the driver that had some consumers entering multiple times with different photos of the UL Mark. The uniqueness of the UL Mark and the sheer number of places it appears made this a compelling campaign. Out of the remarkable 96,000 combined online and mobile entries, 11 percent of all unique sweepstakes entries were submitted via camera phone.

Actress and new mom Keri Russell enthusiastically partnered with UL to spread the word about home safety during the holidays as part of the integrated campaign. Her participation at national tree lighting events, a special event at the Fire Zone museum at Rockefeller Center, in print and broadcast PSAs, a satellite media tour, and through numerous media interviews truly helped spread the "Just Look for UL" message to millions of target consumers.

The results of the "Just Look for UL" program exceeded expectations and created successful consumer awareness of UL and the UL Mark. By leveraging digital applications, UL was able to effectively connect with its target consumer and extend the safety movement to the hands of new mothers. In only six weeks, the Just Look for UL campaign delivered more than 540 million campaign impressions from media outreach, online and grassroots activation and
direct interaction with more that 12 million consumers.

November 2008 - January 1, 2009