On February 2015, winter storms covered Boston with over 30” of snow. Social media went crazy when some Bostonians created the #BostonBlizzardChallenge, a trend where people would jump off from rooftops and porches. It became a trending topic so quickly, the mayor had to intervene. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company quickly responded, but with a different message. It challenged the daredevils who created the trend to jump safely from the Island’s beautiful beaches and waterfalls. Every jump was filmed to replicate the original posts and was shared through the country’s social media platforms and the jumper’s personal accounts. The video was viewed more than 150,000 times and shared more than 10,000 in less than 24 hours. It became the Puerto Rico Tourism Company most shared Facebook post ever and immediately got the media’s attention. Right when temperatures kept dropping and snow kept falling in the United States, we reminded people that when winter drives you insane, you can always come to Puerto Rico.

After noticing the big impact the #bostonblizzardchallenge had on social media, how this topic was trending for several days and the potential damage it could cause to the safety of the citizens, we wanted to present Puerto Rico as the perfect destination to jump off wonderful waterfalls, boats, and mountains, obviously in a safe environment and without worrying public authorities. We wanted to attract the attention of those suffering with the winter storms and invite them to come to Puerto Rico to enjoy a friendlier weather.

The video was viewed more than 150,000 times and shared more than 10,000 in last than 24 hours. It became the Puerto Rico Tourism Company most shared Facebook post ever and immediately got the media’s attention. Right when temperatures kept dropping and snow kept falling in the United States, we reminded people that when winter drives you insane, you can always come to Puerto Rico.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company quickly responded to this trending topic by joining mayor Walsh’s statement about safety, but with a twist. It capitalized on the trending topic by identifying the creators of the challenge online, contacting them and inviting them to jump off from beautiful waterfalls, boats and breath-taking places, way more attractive than rooftops and porches. We used their influence on social platforms to attract interest in visiting Puerto Rico, as a way of enjoying a friendlier weather.