The #LaterHaters campaign was born from Gen-Z research that revealed three key learnings: “haters,” not “cyberbullies” was terminology used by teens, Gen-Zers are aware of branded content and open to engaging with it when the brand presentation is transparent, and online bullying negatively impacts teens on a much deeper level than physical acts of hate. The overarching creative strategy brought these elements to the core of the campaign. The goal was to leverage unfiltered branding, paired with a natively Internet look and feel, to help teens fight back the hate with content they wanted to share in daily social conversation that promoted positive messages with the help of their favorite influencers, celebrities, and role models.

Three Snapchat filter activations targeted 21.1K high schools nationwide, amplified by influencers (Gabby Douglas, Brendan Jordan, Lizzie Velasquez, etc.). “Day of Hearts,” created opportunity for influencers to speak directly to followers with personal messages.

The campaign moved through three storytelling phases to keep content fresh.

1. Block It Out

-Created digital homebase with microsite and Instagram.

-Launched first of three Snapchat activations with custom #LaterHaters geofilters at 21.1K high schools nationwide. Influencer amplification on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

2. Laugh It Out

-Launched second influencer-supported high school Snapchat activation with messaging to redirect negativity with humor.

- #LaterHaters influencers posted custom videos on YouTube addressing online cruelty.

3.Drown It Out

-Influencers participated in “Day of Hearts”

-Amplified by cross-platform influencer-supported Snapchat geofilter activation

4. Ongoing

-Microsite refreshes to reflect content phases

-PR and earned media amplification

-“Always on” Instagram promoted content to support 24/7 messaging

The AT&T #LaterHaters programs was a resounding success with the teen audience:

Instagram amassed over 3.8K followers in 56 days (organically)

The overall campaign engagement rate was 10.13% (5x industry benchmark)

It gained 12.6MM Snapchat impressions and 2.9MM views, 1.6MM swipes of Snapchat filters (exceeded swipes bench by 66.8K)

It garnered 4.6MM views on custom influencer YouTube videos (3.6MM organic)

It increased AT&T positive online sentiment by 4% to 55% (12% over the industry benchmark)

It reached 75MM consumers

It garnered 100MM impressions, 97.1MM more than the 2.9MM benchmark.