Brian Tinsman
Digital Properties Manager
From “planking” to the Harlem Shake, the Ice Bucket Challenge to “face swap,” there are enough Internet challenges to keep even the most creative marketers busy. But if you want the best return on your investment, know when to jump in on trends and when to let the other fads pass.
That logic got the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development involved with the Mannequin Challenge, a trendy way for us to tell our story online.
What Is It?
The video challenge started out among individual users on social media, showing friends, family and pets frozen in time, mid-movement. The trick is to get different video angles of the frozen scene, with a few strategically placed items (e.g. a fan, TV, blender) still moving while everything else stops.
The challenge went mainstream around the 2016 Elections, as Hillary Clinton’s campaign used a Mannequin Challenge video to encourage people to vote. Days later, the Cleveland Cavaliers visited the White House and did one with the First Family.
Getting Involved
Brands that big can co-opt social trends just for the “coolness factor,” but we needed to have a thoughtful, strategic approach before getting involved. Fortunately, our marketing-communications team brainstormed a way to show off our office, team and business services:
With a 60-second time limit to meet Instagram’s video requirements, every angle of the video was considered in advance, from the music to open doors, and what would appear on TV and computer screens.
Here Are 16 Things You Might Have Missed:
- The song is called “Photo,” performed by hip-hop artist YONAS, who makes his home in Loudoun County after moving here from New York City. He recently did a #ThisIsLoudoun takeover of our @LoudounBiz Instagram account and has been an outspoken advocate for the county and its business community. He gave us permission to use his music and even recommended “Photo” for its relevant message.
- The frozen scene takes place in our new world headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, which we moved into in July. The office is located at the start of Metro’s Silver Line, one of three Loudoun County stations scheduled to open by 2020.
- Our office lobby has an interactive coffee table that allows visitors to browse our website and online site selection resources with team members or if they arrive early for meetings.
- The first moving element in the video was the lobby TV screen behind the group, tuned to the latest stock market and business news.
- We love handshakes! Important business connections are made every day in our office, which is why a good handshake is so important.
- The main conference room has our vision statement written across the glass, one of the first things visitors see when they enter to meet with our team.
- Inside the conference room, we have Mondopads that allow us to teleconference with clients across town or around the world.
- The second moving element is staff members featured on the Mondopad screens in the conference room.
- Outside of the conference room, we have a team member throwing a paper ball in the recycling bin while her screen flips through slides on the homepage of LoudounSmallBiz.org.
- As we zoom toward Executive Director Buddy Rizer’s corner office, paperwork is being signed in the human resources office next door to his.
- On Rizer’s desk is a recent issue of the Washington Business Journal, open to a spread on Loudoun’s economic success.
- The fourth moving element in this video is his globe on the bookcase near his office door.
- #LoudounPossible is our hashtag and marketing tagline, and is featured on the T-shirt being given to a client. If you’d like to sport a #LoudounPossible shirt, send your name, size and mailing address to brian.tinsman@loudoun.gov.
- On the column at the end of the row, there’s a letter to Santa from the department. It might be hard to read in real time, so here’s a photo of what we’re asking for:
- We love our business partners, clients and prospects, so each year we have each member of our staff personally sign each holiday card that goes out. This year, we sent 1,200 cards to our valued contacts. The cards were printed locally by Worth Higgins & Associates (formerly Petree Press) in Sterling, Virginia.
- We end with a look at the card and Happy Holiday message from us to you!
We’d like to give a special shout-out to Loudoun business leaders who helped us with this video, including staff from the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and the commercial satellite team at XTAR.
We hope that you enjoyed our Mannequin Challenge, and that it inspires you to do your own trendy web challenge in the future. If it does, please send us a link to your project at LoudounBiz@Loudoun.gov.
