Harnessing the shareable content that a Guinness World Record delivers
In a world where social media continues to become an increasingly powerful medium for marketers, the creation of shareable content has in turn become a primary objective for campaigns.
But in an industry where everyone is scrabbling to create the next viral hit, how do you ensure your message or story gets airtime?
One method that’s proven effective for companies is harnessing the irresistibly shareable content that an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS record attempt can offer.
No better example of the online power of record breaking content came earlier this year than with Hyundai Motor’s ambitious New Thinking campaign for its Genesis series of cars.
When 13-year-old Stephanie wanted to send her Dad–who happens to work at the International Space Station–a long-distance message, Hyundai spotted an opportunity to deliver a message that would resonate with both Stephanie and her Dad.
The pair had been separated for seven months during the astronaut’s lengthy mission on the ISS, and Hyundai knew that the timing had to be perfect.
In the Nevada desert, the car manufacturer used eleven Hyundai Genesis cars to communicate a powerful message created by tire tracks in the form of Stephanie’s handwriting, which read “Steph loves you.”
A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator was on-site at the attempt to confirm that the image had indeed set a new record for the Largest tire track image with an enormous 59,808,480.26 ft² image carved into the desert; so large that it was visible from the International Space Station.
The touching story matched with incredible imagery and footage ensured that a YouTube video of the record attempt quickly became a viral hit across the globe, touching the hearts of millions. Since publication, over 60 million people have watched the impressive video.
More recently UNICEF Canada, with support from members of the Canadian women’s national soccer team, lead 7,238 fans at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field in breaking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Most people performing a high-five simultaneously.
The attempt took place prior to the friendly FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ match between the Canadian Women’s National Soccer Team and England in May kicking off the charity’s #HighFiveIt campaign – an initiative to help to stop preventable child deaths.
Participants in the record attempt were encouraged to use the campaign’s hashtag during the lead-up and aftermath of the attempt, ensuring widespread awareness of the initiative. With the success of the record achievement, UNICEF Canada’s team started a movement on social media encouraging thousands of people to take photos of themselves high-fiving each other and pledging to donate $5 to UNICEF at highfiveit.org to help save children’s lives. This initiative garnered millions of views online, received national and international media coverage including Yahoo News and ABC News, and engaged a range of influencers – athletes, actors, media personalities and politicians – who joined the #HighFiveIt moment, further amplifying awareness of UNICEF’s cause.
As with the many brands and institutions before them, Hyundai & UNICEF Canada created their own unforgettable piece of history, as well a unique and valuable slice of online exposure that only a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt can provide.
Powerful campaigns start with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS event. Contact us via email or learn more here!
