Heros & Leaders
hickey-freeman-2
Celebrating Veterans' Success in Civilian Life and the Power of Investing in America's Heroes
The Challenge
Hickey Freeman aimed to boost its e-commerce sales and highlight its commitment to social responsibility by launching a new initiative focused on supporting veterans in Rochester. The challenge was to effectively market this dual focus to a wider audience, ensuring growth in online transactions while showcasing the brand's community involvement.
The Solution
We crafted a holistic 360-degree campaign that spotlighted the success stories of three veterans, demonstrating their invaluable contributions through engaging digital content and social media storytelling. This approach not only showcased Hickey Freeman's dedication to social responsibility but also seamlessly integrated these narratives with the brand’s offerings, driving e-commerce sales and deepening customer engagement with the brand's community-focused initiative.
INCREASE IN SALES
102%
Press Pickups
250+
INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENT
200%
Impressions
1M+
Davey Award Winner
Gold - Integrated Campaign
Silver - Corporate Social Responsibility - Social
Silver - Corporate Social Responsibility - Content & Marketing
Purpose
Since their humble beginnings over 117 years ago, Hickey Freeman has been dedicated to manufacturing, hiring, and training domestically. Focusing on their local veterans community in Rochester, the brand has partnered with NGOs such as Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS) and FourBlock, that help prepare returning veterans for their next chapter.
“Invest in veterans. Invest in America”
Inspired by Hickey Freeman’s very own Jacob Sipple – a Marine veteran who now works as a Hickey Freeman supervisor, Purpose Never Ends was created to challenge the idea that all veterans come back from service broken. Instead, we posit that the military prepares veterans for life in a way that we can never imagine. This campaign highlighted five men who have returned from service and continued to be incredibly successful beyond their service – showing how valuable the skills learned in the military can be for a veteran returning home to civilian life. In addition to Jacob, the campaign consisted of four other veterans: Jake Wood of Team Rubicon, Wes Moore of The Robin Hood Foundation, Sunny Li of Citi, and Joe Cardona of the New England Patriots. We spent a day with each veteran, learning who they were when they entered the military, who they became during their service, and how that translated to civilian life.
