BACKGROUND

Forward for Good is a Citizen Verizon initiative that is focused on Disability Innovation and startups that use next-generation technology solutions to help people with disabilities live more independent lives. We interviewed seven start-up companies that were finalists in Verizon Forward for Good Accelerator program. Among the several finalists are solutions for the Blind, Deaf/Hoh, Complex Motor Disability, and Mobility Disability.  Our goal was to tell human-interest tech stories so that our cause-conscious customers can become more aware of Verizon’s Responsible Business and showcase our finalists because innovative tech solutions help move the world forward. 

EXECUTION :

With the Innovation Agency, Alley,  we interviewed over 19 different CEOs, founders, and engineers located all over the country, which resulted in us acquiring film crews in each city. We were able to accommodate each start-up’s needs. For instance,  one of the start-ups, GoVoBo, requested the entire film team to be from the deaf community, and a few of the finalists required ASL interpreters on site.

Like the shoots, our edits had to be inclusive to all viewers. Each edit required captions and audio descriptions. Audio descriptions are an accessibility feature for the blind/low-vision community. The purpose is to provide brief visual information as context for those who cannot see the video.  No one on the team had worked with audio descriptions prior, so we contacted a 3rd party vendor to help. We learned the best practices and overall process for audio description recordings. 

RESULTS

The social media post had positive highlights on various platforms. On Facebook, the FFG Accessibility Series post was well-received, with many likes and a good View Rate. On Instagram, the post exceeded category benchmarks and had a higher View Rate. On Twitter, the post was the best performer for the week and surpassed the category benchmarks for Likes/TW engagements. Overall, the FFG Accessibility Series post did exceptionally well on Instagram, with a high View Rate compared to the platform and category averages. It also outperformed previous accessibility IG content with a 24% increase in performance.