The brief: Create the returning campaign to promote the Yelp Elite Squad, a collective of Yelp's most engaged users.

Social activation

This time, we invited the Yelp Elites to submit an audition video to win one of the three featured spots. The winners got to come to San Francisco and and get featured in their own personalized video as one of the new YES! stars on the Yelp Elite home page. All they had to do was submit a 30-second video telling us why they love their city. Check out the winning vids—they’re so awesome.

We launched the campaign via social, email, and the official blog, which offered inspiration for filming the auditions. We then worked with a handful of Yelp’s Community Managers to compile audition tips for social, offering quick ideas for the videos and encouraging submissions. Plus, we had so many amazing videos come through we repurposed the content to raise more awareness.

Call for auditions

Folks had 30 seconds to declare their love for their city and showcase why they wanted to be a part of this campaign. We ran audition highlights across Yelp’s 125+ social media handles.

Once the winners were picked, we got to creating the full campaign—three personalized videos that showcased the three top features of a Yelp Elite, writing, photography, and adventure.

Campaign rollout

The full campaign included the call for auditions, social activation, three winners spots, an interview video, three cuts for social, one BTS reel, a refreshed the landing page, and email campaign. I lead the team, from strategy to concepts to scripts, and provided creative direction throughout.

Results: Yelp’s social following increased by 31% and the campaign more than doubled the engagement on the year before. ROI was ~3.5x.