Pfizer, one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world, has long been a champion of healthy aging. The company has used social channels to share tips, advice and inspiration about getting older and the power of reinvention later in life. Every year, millions of American college seniors take unpaid internships hoping they turn into full time jobs. In 2016, one more aspiring senior joined that list – senior citizen Paul Critchlow. Pfizer’s Senior vs. Senior was the first socially led documentary to tell the real life story of the world’s first 70 year old intern - who joined Pfizer’s 2016 internship class. Paul was to be a real-world, real-time example of aging’s possibilities. Every year, millions of American college seniors take unpaid internships hoping they turn into full time jobs.

Paul actually joined the internship and he and his fellow college interns played a critical role in helping shape the editorial calendar they themselves were the stars of. Pfizer’s 350k+ followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were introduced to the interns in late summer, and over the course of the experience, posts explored the generational themes that arose. Each post served as larger conversation points that the community discussed—often directly with Paul and the Pfizer team. The campaign culminated in a mini-documentary.

The campaign garnered over 16 million impressions on Facebook alone with over 228,000 likes, shares and comments plus over 4.6 million video views in the first month. The unorthodox intern class landed press coverage from around the world as well as a keynote speaking engagement at SXSW – One of the United States’ largest largest innovation conferences. But the best result? Like many hopeful interns, Paul landed a permanent spot at Pfizer