There were several hurdles to overcome in the surprise World AIDS Day live performance. We worked with the Times Square Alliance, which does not generally issue permits between Thanksgiving and the New Year, while securing permission to use digital billboards surrounding the event. Due to New York City restrictions, we were also not allowed to promote the location or time of the concert until the day of the event -- and not until 6 pm. We worked around this by promoting the performance during the week prior, telling our audience "something big" was coming, and teasing the live performance. On World AIDS Day, we launched our shareable Bono video on Facebook and Twitter, introducing live reads on iHeart radio while celebrities and influencers tweeted about the concert. Finally at 6 pm, we announced the time and location. A Facebook Accelerated Delivery unit drove viewers to the live-stream on YouTube, and ESPN broadcast live from the venue. As we had anticipated, word had spread on social media that a World AIDS Day event was taking place, and a capacity crowd was already in the Times Square location taken over by Bank of America and (RED) branding.

A week prior to the performance, the event was teased in social, paid and owned media. On the day of the event, Bono shared a World AIDS Day message on Facebook and Twitter, while paid and owned media publicized the event. At 6 pm, news broke with the time and location, though a capacity crowd had already filled the venue at Times Square.

A free, live performance featuring 76 Grammys' worth of talent should exceed expectations. On every level, this was the case. There were 420 million total media impressions, with Bono's Facebook and Twitter video alone generating 91 million and 500,000 in one day. ESPN's Monday Night Football Countdown and broadcast were the highest-rated programs of the night, beating their closest competitor by 26 percent. And Facebook's first-ever "Donate Now" button generated Bank of America's highest click-through rate ever. Brand sentiment remained positive throughout the event, with Bank of America employee participation breaking engagement records. Finally, 9.6 million people viewed the on-demand broadcast on YouTube, while influencers tweeting about the concert included Coldplay, Ryan Seacrest, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Hugh Jackman, Bill Clinton, Carrie Underwood and many more.

Most importantly, the World AIDS Day live performance raised awareness and $3.3 million in donations to (RED), equaling 8.2 million days of life-saving medication.