Working alongside National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, Truist Financial, and United Way delivered a message of hope and unity amidst a summer of uncertainty and unrest. While the country was struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic and facing a historic moment for civil rights, Truist and United Way partnered with Amanda Gorman to spread a message of solidarity and hope. Her poem “Live United” served as a call-to-arms, challenging people all over the country to come together for the greater good and echoing the work of United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response & Recovery Fund.
This message broke from the melancholic and reactionary work flooding the market and inspired the country to take action. The response it inspired was huge. It exceeded the expectations of both United Way and Truist, besting any other United Way work. The hero video received an 86.5% video completion rate online; the social media impact was 300% more than expected at 115.8MM. It generated over 258M total paid media impressions, while United Way picked up hundreds of new volunteers and donors eager to help the cause.