Shipping ain’t an easy business.
For UPS, the holiday season is always the busiest time of the year. And it’s not even close. As shipping volumes reach their peak, so do people’s expectations. Disruptive weather, spikes in volume, and other unpredictabilities of the seasons can create headwinds for the brand’s perception. Reminding people of the company’s year-round commitment to doing good — with Wishes Delivered — helps offset some of those challenges.
Reading cultural cues.
To find our stories, we took a deep dive into social media listening and analytics focusing on the topics fueling current conversations on social media.
But in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, as Americans were facing significant disruptions to their lives, we purposely looked for stories of how people were meeting the moment. Real stories with real connections to peoples’ hearts and lives were critical to achieve the kind of engagement we’ve seen for years with Wishes Delivered.
We found these stories, then traveled to capture them — not an easy task in the Fall of 2020 with challenging COVID protocols in place. But they were worth the effort.
2020 Wishes Delivered features:
2020’s features included “Free Mom Hugs,” one mom’s wish to send her love to the LGBTQ+ community. We also featured “Small Businessman, Big Heart,” a kid-run business’ wish to fight food insecurity.
Wishes Delivered has run for years, racking up mass media coverage and a host of national awards, including a 2018 Athena Award and the 3% Conference for positive portrayals of girls and women in media. That award was for “One Girl’s Future In The Skies.”
A social media phenomenon.
Throughout the life of the campaign, Wishes Delivered has accumulated over 130 million views, and over 4 million likes and shares. Year over year, it continues to strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones by reaching an ever wider audience. It’s responsible for raising positive brand sentiment by 23%, and 4 in 5 people who have seen the campaign said they would use UPS in the future. Each year, we generate dozens of pieces of content to support a successful, wide-ranging social and media strategy developed by Material.
As we look back on the positive impact the campaign has had on UPS, and on lives across the globe, we can’t wait to add a little more magic next year. One wish at a time.
