Case Study — Campaign Motion
When the first cut stalled, I rebuilt the idea — and reached 653k.
Onewater secured funding for the Walk of Water Photo Contest — on one condition: the campaign had to reach at least 1 million people worldwide. The subject was heavy and hard to grasp: disappearing glaciers, dams, and shrinking water reservoirs. A complex environmental story that most people scroll straight past.
Create a video that could do three things at once: attract attention, simplify the topic, and encourage contest entries — all while carrying enough reach to clear the one-million-person threshold the funding depended on.
The first approach was a cinematic video with a voiceover explaining the issue (shown above). It ran for a week — and stalled hard, pulling in just 977 views and almost no entries.
After assessing the campaign data, we changed direction. I created a motion-graphics video engineered to capture attention within the first few seconds, translating the complex subject into something instantly readable and built for the feed.
"The cinematic cut looked the part — but the data said the first few seconds were where we were losing everyone."
The motion-graphics version — designed to land in the first few seconds
The switch turned the campaign around completely. Engagement climbed, application entries picked up, and viewership rose from 977 to 653,000 — a jump of more than 660× — driven not by more spend but by a clearer idea that respected how people actually watch.
It's the clearest case I have for a simple principle: when a creative isn't working, the fix is usually the concept, not the polish.