OnStar is a General Motors technology service that connects subscribers to emergency services, anytime, anywhere. But natural disasters like Hurricane Ida are increasing in intensity and frequency. They go beyond the day-to-day emergencies our specially-trained Advisors normally answer.

The brief was to use OnStar’s technology and data to anticipate and act ahead of a natural disaster, and to make sure people knew it was available and ready to use.

Our objective was to make sure that when everything else went down, we didn’t.

When Hurricane Ida was about the hit the US, OnStar used storm data to identify the areas that could be impacted by the hurricane. Then, we identified 317,000 GM cars in the affected area, with and without active Onstar subscriptions, and activated all of them for free. Instantly, these vehicles became hubs of safety, providing communication with our specially-trained advisors, mobile service, and Wi-Fi, even before the hurricane landed.

We changed all of our paid social media from selling messages to helping messages, letting those in the affected area know they could use the service for free.

We activated Crisis Mode for all Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac vehicles, even if the owners didn’t have an active OnStar subscription. We alerted them through OnStar’s CRM and email systems. We also converted our paid media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) to target a geofenced audience with reminders of the free service, along with lifelines for safety and updates on Hurricane Ida’s path.

As soon as we had word of Hurricane Ida, we determined the scale of impact, the severity of the crisis, and what services we could offer.

On August 29th, we activated our Crisis Mode playbook. 317,000 OnStar-equipped vehicles in the affected area were identified, and activated ahead of the hurricane’s landfall. These vehicles provided a free source of mobile and Wi-fi service for the community, along with access to our live OnStar Advisors.

We activated our social channels to serve people in the New Orleans area affected by the storm. We used our long-standing partnership with the Red Cross and amplified emergency updates from the emergency sources and response locations, including from FEMA, the National Service and more. As the storm moved/changed, our source list was routinely updated in lockstep with the event.

Thousands of people used their vehicles as a reliable point of communication and Wi-fi connection. OnStar Advisors directly helped 16,466 people in need.

Our social engagement created mass awareness of Crisis Mode, with increased followers, page visits impressions, and engagement. Twitter named OnStar as “People to follow” for Hurricane Idea – alongside other trusted sources like Red Cross and FEMA.

OnStar’s brand impressions increased by 89% MoM with a total of 109,790 impressions and 939 engagements. Twitter followers increased 117% during our Crisis Mode period. Visits to our Crisis Assist page increased 2375% overnight.

Combined efforts during Hurricane Ida helped the brand reach more 987,217 impressions.

During and after the crisis, we created/shared content that helped show the realities of the hurricane – connecting people to help loved ones when they needed it most.