In 2018 Cole Haan and its agency Giant Spoon partnered with Forbes BrandVoice to engage ambitious millennial consumers. The Changemakers series features passionate leaders making strides in the fields of wellness, travel and food. Spearfisher Valentine Thomas and other cultural influencers share their uplifting stories to inspire the Forbes audience.
A social-first promotion strategy drove viewers from Instagram and Facebook back to the 3-minute video on Forbes. The Facebook ad promoting the video achieved the highest CTR of the social campaign--4.8%. Thomas also shared the video with her 181K+ Instagram followers, saying “My heart is full, knowing that my endeavors to bring sustainable food sourcing to the forefront of the public’s view are beginning to pay off. Thank you Forbes for sharing what's become my passion with the world."
From Dec 21 to Jan 21, the Valentine Thomas video racked up 488K views on Forbes.com, making it most-watched of the 8-episode series, which earned 1.4 million views in total during that time frame. The branded series has helped Cole Haan build an arsenal of content for future use, boost engagement on its social media channels and earn organic media coverage.
