VERIZON FREESTYLE 50 CAMPAIGN
JUNIOR PRODUCER

[AUG 2016 - DEC 2017]

Seeking to regain share and build brand affinity amongst multicultural Millennials, Verizon partnered with leading music label 300 Entertainment to launch the “Verizon #freestyle50 Challenge”, a social media-based talent competition in search of the best freestyle rapper in the nation. Inspired by the thematic of the “7 GB for $50” offer exclusively at Walmart, Verizon, 300 Entertainment, and IW Group gave away 7 “gigs” of a lifetime; granting seven emerging rappers the opportunity to open for a 300 Entertainment artist during an upcoming tour. One grand prize winner won a single record deal with 300 Entertainment and $10,000.

As a producer in the agency that activated this campaign, I overlooked various aspects of the overall production. Since October of 2016, I have worked in several different capacities in both campaigns and all four Freestyle 50 event activations. The list is as follows:

11.29.16 Freestyle50 - New York City - Producer

12.17.16 Freestyle 50 Final - Atlanta, GA - Producer

07.25.17 Freestyle 50 Part II - New York City - Producer

08.01.17 Freestyle 50 Part II Final- Los Angeles - Social Media Specialist / Producer

Freestyle 50 (2016) - New York & Atlanta

As a producer, my team and I established a strategic partnership with leading hip hop label 300 Entertainment and co-founder Kevin Liles. Together, we collaborated with established hip hop industry brands and influencers to lead a content integration approach through paid media partnerships to organically connect with consumers.

My responsibilities included collaborating with the creative team to produce original content for 300 Entertainment to share across social platforms. With these creatives, I took the initiative to supplement the national campaign with targeted media buys in key regional markets.

In terms of production, my team and I took the initiative to incorporate 300 Entertainment’s talent roster and executives into each facet of the campaign journey. With the months leading up to the event, we coordinated and executed signature events, both in NYC and Atlanta, that attracted media attention as well as attendance by celebrities and influencers such as Migos, Ludacris, and Tee Grizzly.

The campaign was a huge success with the results below:

Sales

Increased sales of Verizon’s prepaid offer exclusive to Walmart
14% increase in Southeast market
10% increase nationally

Freestyle 50 Atlanta Finals Photos (Courtesy of IW Group)

Social Media

133 million social media impressions
8,000+ entries received (goal: 250)
28,318 Tweets
7,937 Instagram posts
#freestyle50challenge hashtag used 10,000+ times

Public Relations

22 national media placements

Freestyle 50 Part II (2017) - New York & Los Angeles

With the success of the #Freestyle50 challenge, Verizon collaborated with our agency to host the competition for its second year. As a producer at the activating agency, I worked closely with leading representatives from 300 Entertainment and Verizon to execute this plan. Below is a deck highlighting my team's achievements and the production execution of our campaign. This activation was the recipient of PRSA's (Public Relations Society of America) 2017 Big Apple Award for Brand Engagement: Business and Digital Media Consumer Product and Services.