For nearly 150 years, The Legal Aid Society has championed social justice in courts and communities—The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no person should be denied the right to equal justice. Despite these long-standing efforts, many of New York's most vulnerable communities remain unaware of services beyond 911 that are designed to help them feel safer in their neighborhoods. The Legal Aid Society, America’s largest social justice law firm, enlisted Kettle to take its mission a step further with a clear yet ambitious goal: make justice accessible and actionable in every NYC borough; capture the attention of vulnerable communities and emphasize everyone’s right to justice.
With a clear goal, we set out to connect every NYC neighborhood to vital community justice resources and aid in the areas where New Yorkers needed them most. To achieve this and effectively reach our audience in the crowded streets, we knew we had to take a diligent, thoughtful approach.
We analyzed public NYPD arrest data to pinpoint over-policed areas. We then cross-referenced these locations with our campaign’s service sites to prioritize where our message would have the most impact.
We refined our creative approach through audience surveys and monadic testing with 1,000 respondents from key NYC neighborhoods. This data-driven strategy ensured our campaign was not only impactful but also culturally relevant and effective in sparking action. Our team focused on evolving The Legal Aid Society’s brand elements to help make our message stand out in a sea of ad space - a challenge within itself. We focused on using bold, large typography in a distinct neon green, paired with striking imagery to grab attention and stop busy New Yorkers in their tracks—whether in the subway or on the street.
Our efforts resulted in the launch of “Do NYC Justice,” a 360° marketing and public awareness campaign to create a better vision of justice for under-resourced communities across NYC. We sought to provide access to a one-stop resource directory for New Yorkers looking for information or help surrounding their rights while uplifting community members for more community investments along the way.
We launched this campaign across 165+ subway ads, 150+ LinkNYC kiosks, 450+ bus ads, and over 150 business windows in local shops, bodegas, and community hubs. This included a two-week digital takeover at the Jamaica subway station in Queens. Each placement featured QR codes leading to a landing page with critical resources for housing, mental health support, employment, violence prevention, and more.
The rollout also included targeted social media content and influencer marketing initiatives, mailers and other grassroots collateral including books, zines, and personalized stickers to reach citizens at a neighborhood level. The campaign also focused on boosting citywide resources through 311 NYC Services, 988 Mental Health Crisis Intervention, 100 Suits for 100 Men, or Center for Justice Innovation / Save Our Streets (S.O.S.).
The Legal Aid Society has been doing impactful work that many people were unaware of, especially the under-resourced communities in need of information. Our “Do NYC Justice” campaign was a hyperlocal targeted campaign that appeared in marginalized neighborhoods where people are most often in need of help, but least often connected to essential community resources and equitable services. The campaign did more than make more noise across the city - it drove action. It was highly visible and spread across digital, out-of-home and direct mail and featured in MTA locations.
We achieved the goal of raising awareness, driving change for New Yorkers and giving people hope through resources in times of uncertainty. We made resources accessible by sharing information as many places as possible.
By targeting key areas, we expanded our outreach with low costs and efficiently achieved a greater impact. Results include:
-33M total impressions
-5x+ clicks YoY*
-80% reduction in cost-per-click YoY*
*compared to a 2023 campaign
