Case Study
Verizon uses Twitter to support small businesses in uncertain times
Dave Matthews kicked off Verizon’s #PayItForwardLIVE, an entertainment series to help small businesses affected by COVID-19. The result: 100% net positive brand sentiment, the highest for a Twitter live stream.
It’s a challenging time for all of us as COVID-19 has changed the way we interact. It’s also impacted businesses as people are asked to stay home. But while we’re distancing in real life, Twitter helps us stay connected with each other and our local communities.
In March, @verizon found a way to support small businesses and bring people together — virtually, that is. By partnering with Twitter’s Live Brand Studio, it brought #PayItForwardLIVE to Twitter to inspire community action through entertainment.
#PayItForwardLIVE is an eight-week live-stream series featuring performances by the world’s top artists and entertainers. The goal is to raise money and rally support for small businesses affected by COVID-19.
Getting ready to rock
The series kicked off with Dave Matthews as the first act:
The brand promoted @davematthewsbnd’s Tweet and followed up to raise awareness about the series.
Verizon announced it would be donating $2.5 million dollars to support small businesses and asked people to Tweet with support for their favorite local companies using the hashtag #PayItForwardLIVE. For each Tweet, the brand would donate another $10 in support, up to an additional $2.5 million. It also shared a video highlighting ways people could help:
A few days before the event, Verizon also shared a reminder card so fans could opt to be notified when the show began.
When the big day finally arrived, Verizon kicked off the live stream on Twitter’s Live Event page, where people could watch the performance while keeping up with the conversation and other updates.
#PayItForwardLIVE Strikes A Chord
People on Twitter loved the event.
They expressed their gratitude for both Verizon and Dave Matthews Band.
Afterward, Verizon followed up by sharing a video replay encouraging people to continue supporting local businesses with purchases, and also reminding us to follow along every Tuesday and Thursday for future streams.
It was a huge success: The live stream got the attention of people everywhere and quickly became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the US. And more great news for Verizon: There was 100% net positive sentiment about the brand after the event, the most ever from a Twitter live stream.
With #PayItForwardLIVE, Verizon used Twitter to create a fun and entertaining way for people to come together in a time of isolation and support their local communities.
For more marketing insights and inspiration during this time, visit marketing.twitter.com/covid19.