Promoting no fees, safety and security features alone wouldn’t be enough to break through with Venmo and PayPal users. The Friends Again Report revealed a clear need for an emotionally-driven reason for consumers to repair friendships that were affected by unpaid IOUs and the service was a natural hero. The message had to be simple, yet undeniably resounding. Thus “Friends Again” was born with the call to action: “Pay them back. Be friends again.” This culminated in a cultural moment for press and consumers alike, Pay Back A Friend Day (PBAFD). PBAFD heightened awareness of money owed between friends, built enthusiasm for the effort and most importantly, created a necessary need and occasion to use the app on an ongoing basis.

The Seed Phase launched “Friends Again” through TV spots, paid social media and owned assets.

PR led the Build phase, creating awareness ahead of October 17 PBAFD:

• Top-tier media interviews with BofA CMO and friendship expert Dr. Melanie Mills

• Mass scale media push including satellite and radio media tours, audio news release

• Push Friends Again Report on earned & social media

Celebrate phase created a powerful 24-hour activation on PBAFD:

• Jimmy Kimmel Live and Good Morning America integrations;

• Share man-on-the-street video featuring former NFL player, entrepreneur and personality Dhani Jones and NYC pedestrians about outrageous IOUs;

• Sports lifestyle media tour with Jones;

• National media interviews with Dr. Mills;

• Digital content from social media influencers.

Sustainment phase continued momentum:

• Completed second top-tier national media tour during Super Bowl week about consumers using P2P when traveling or attending events;

• Proactive/reactive media opportunities.

(Tier 1 – Media Outputs) Media coverage across online, print and broadcast yielded 6,286 placements yielding 852M+ impressions with top-tier American coverage in Good Morning America, Fast Company, Forbes, Refinery29, Cheddar TV, Huffington Post, New York Post, and more. There have been more than 22,000 mentions of #FriendsAgain since October 10, generating 100.5M+ total potential social impressions. There were 35MM+ interactions with social content, delivering above-benchmark engagement rates across all social platforms.

(Tier 2 – Target Audience Outcomes) Following the Friends Again campaign, there was a strong +6 point lift in Brand Favorability.

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(Tier 3 – Business Outcomes) The brand and business impact was clear. There was a 50%+ increase in P2P enrollments post-campaign launch