We knew the main reason most teens start to drink or use drugs is FOMO: The Fear Of Missing Out and feeling alone. So we created Unwasted Weekend - a campaign centered around inclusion and involvement. Using peer influencers, we issued weekly challenges to give teens an alternative for their weekends and ended up starting an active online community of sharing that grew into the millions.
The Digital Hub
We created an site that operated as ground zero for all things Unwasted Weekend. Every Friday at 5pm, we asked a Celebrity Curator to issue an online challenge. The community was free to use their imaginations in fulfilling the challenge, the only rule was that submissions needed to be uploaded on social media using #UnwastedWeekend by Sunday at 5pm. Every entry was pulled into the site's online gallery for all to see.
Weekly Challenges
The challenges spanned a number of themes. Some were easy art or photo projects, while others were a bit more ambitious. With the help of media partners like MTV, Clear Channel, AOL and more we gave teens their ultimate Unwasted Weekends and amplified the cause in huge ways.
Some teens got the Made treatment from MTV, some starred in self-created national commercials for the cause, while others had their original songs recorded by the hit group Karmin and played live for the world to hear at NYC's Jingle Ball. In the end, we gave millions of teens an outlet to share and come together in the knowledge that they are not alone in their choice to stay sober. And in the process, turned a brand into a movement.