Teaming Up with Melinda French Gates
How 1K YouTube Views Sparked Real Social Change
Balancing Numbers and Narrative in Digital Marketing
Digital marketing often feels like walking a tightrope. On one side, you have the hard data: growth targets, brand awareness metrics, and conversion rates. The promise of these numbers is often alluring—Herculean growth, historic awareness, endless conversions. But on the other side, there's qualitative data—the softer side of digital marketing. Audience sentiment, the reactions, the comments, the shares, and yes, even the silences—sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.
While KPIs may be the “North Star” guiding us, every brand is a performer, and not every audience gives a standing ovation. If content doesn’t go viral, does that mean we're failing? Not necessarily.
Context is King
Humans are logical creatures, but emotions often skew logic. Consider this: you receive an angry email after a perfect weekend. If you're in a calm state, you’ll respond politely. But if you're tired, stressed, and irritable, your response may differ. The key here is context. The same piece of content can have vastly different impacts depending on when and how it’s consumed.
The Dream Collaboration: Melinda Gates Enters The Picture
A few months ago, we had the incredible opportunity to create a campaign promoting a conversation between two iconic philanthropists, Melinda French Gates and Rohini Nilekani. The video explored the critical relationship between wellbeing and social change, a topic close to our mission. We were thrilled—working with such renowned figures was bound to elevate our brand, right? We planned a comprehensive strategy with heartfelt captions, boosted posts, and all the digital marketing bells and whistles. The outcome? Surprisingly, our content performed… averagely.
As a non-profit, we’re accustomed to modest numbers. Our topics, though incredibly important, aren’t as attention-grabbing as trending topics like celebrity gossip or viral videos. But does this mean our content isn’t valuable? In a world overwhelmed by clickbait, sensationalism, and fake news, is there still room for meaningful content?
Despite following best practices—short-form content, subtitles, and expert commentary—our campaign didn’t ignite the level of engagement we hoped for. Why? The content was appealing to philanthropists, not to our primary audience: the changemakers. These are the individuals already deeply engaged with our work, many of whom already understand the connection between philanthropy and wellbeing. We weren’t speaking to a new audience; we were preaching to the choir.
Relevance is in the Eye of the Beholder
The True Measure of Success: Funds Over Followers
Forbes reported that there are 2,781 billionaires in the world as of 2024, but how many of them are philanthropists at the level of Melinda French Gates or Rohini Nilekani? While that number remains elusive, what we do know is that our Fundraising department has mastered the art of engaging individuals and foundations that share our mission. This video collaboration, while not the sole driver of our fundraising success in 2024, played a crucial role. Quality content, even with modest views, can reach the right people at the right time—those whose support translates into the most essential KPI of all: funding that drives our mission forward.
In the end, while our content may not have gone viral, it served a more meaningful purpose: it contributed to securing funds that will fuel the wellbeing movement and continue our mission of creating positive change in the world. Numbers may be important, but when it comes to nonprofit work, the true success is measured in impact—not just views.