Global Citizen is a global movement of engaged citizens who are using their collective voice to defend the planet and defeat poverty. In 2021, their tentpole activation was Global Citizen Live: a 24-hour global broadcast event from seven continents, featuring musical artists, celebrities and world leaders that came together to shine a light on some of the world’s most challenging issues and make public commitments that galvanize change. This event is the ideal platform and audience to amplify the Citi brand and showcase a partnership grounded in mutual values –– both empowering people who are out to change the world, so together, they can create a better tomorrow.
In its 9th year partnering with Global Citizen, Citi embarked on a mission to enable progress for the communities it serves across the globe. Under the spotlight of a global audience on the Global Citizen stage, Citi announced its largest and most impactful commitment ever made: a multi-billion dollar social finance commitment to help improve the lives of 15M households, including 10M women around the globe.
Citi, Global Citizen and Superfly worked together to meet the following objectives:
Increase brand linkage between Citi and Global Citizen
Demonstrate Citi’s commitment to enabling societal progress by announcing Citi’s Social Finance Commitment
Citi set out to align this work with Global Citizen to its For The Love of Progress initiative –– specifically the initiative’s “commit” pillar –– by demonstrating a deep commitment to using Citi’s power as a global bank to help solve today’s toughest challenges. Coupled with Global Citizen's commitment to #MovetheWorld, Superfly developed a plan of action centered around Citi's core message of being a bank 'with a soul and brain' who is using its balance sheet for good as a continued partner of Global Citizen. This message served as the inspirational through-line for each campaign component.
Citi and Global Citizen's partnership lead to a collection of campaign components crafted to reach audiences across a variety of touch points:
A month-long organic social and paid media campaign, led by Superfly, inclusive of 15 assets highlighting the partnership between Citi and Global Citizen, the live experience in Central Park and Citi’s commitment to defend the planet and defeat poverty through its multi-billion dollar social finance commitment
OOH brand placements in New York City including digital, transit shelters and Citibike wraps
Onsite Citi-branded activations including refillable water stations and reusable bottles and a VIP space featuring a lounge and a temporary tattoo station
Onsite festival branding
Onstage announcement of Citi’s social finance commitment from both New York and Paris stages
With the ever-present COVID-19 pandemic still impacting the ways communities gather together, Citi’s biggest challenge was ensuring its onsite presence illustrated sensitivity to the moment. The event was compliant with all New York City COVID-19 protocol and took it one step further by mandating all attendees to wear masks at the outdoor gathering. This, coupled with the activation space’s social distancing and sanitization protocols, ensured attendee safety at all Citi-branded touch points.
Additionally, Global Citizen Live’s 10 global partners made navigating the media landscape a challenge. Citi’s media partner identified and executed a sound buying strategy. This strategy included utilizing digital platforms providing a unique environment where consumers engage with content relevant to campaign messaging, OOH units in the New York area with maximum visibility to help boost awareness of the live event and lastly, national broadcast spots garnering mass reach showing Citi’s association with Global Citizen.
Citi’s primary objectives were met, supported by the following results:
60K attendees in Central Park with 83M+ watching the live broadcast as Citi announced its Social Finance Commitment to the world
Highest brand recall of all GCL partners with 70% linkage
Overall positive consumer sentiment of Citi’s onsite offerings at the Central Park event. Consumers loved the water bottle refill stations as well as the activation space. Reactions to each offering mentioned includes:
“Great initiative to reduce plastic waste and encourage reusing after this!”
“Fun, interactive experience to commemorate the event.”
The month-long campaign reached 52M+ total social impressions
Exceeded video completion benchmarks by 5% on Citi’s Social Finance Commitment spot
