Geile/Leon Marketing Communications has won two 2016 Bronze Telly Awards for online videos produced for a Union Pacific Railroad initiative that raised awareness about the safety concerns and legal implications of taking high school senior photos on or near railroad tracks.
Playing on teens’ desire to look “cool” and not foolish in front of their peers, G/L created two videos that likened railroad tracks to busy thoroughfares (such as highways and busy downtown streets) and asked teens a simple question: “You wouldn’t get your senior photo taken here…so why would you do it on the tracks?”
The videos, shared socially and digitally by Union Pacific, greatly resonated with their audiences. The videos have been featured in articles on popular photography sites including SLR Lounge, Fstoppers, and PetaPixel, and were also included as part of a Nightline ABC story.
“Changing behavior and perceptions through a campaign is no easy task,” said G/L President and Brand Strategist Tim Leon. “We were able to use social media content and two online videos to connect with both the teen and photographer audience. By producing such creative content, we were able to get widespread viewership and impactful results with a minimal budget.”
Leon explains that G/L presented the two concepts to Union Pacific in a rough cut format, but the story was so engaging that the client decided that additional work wasn’t required. With solid strategy, good creative and proper execution, he says, a campaign can exceed expectations and more effectively compete against campaigns with bigger budgets.
The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. There were more than 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. More information can be found here.