Inspired by the Joe Louis Fist in Downtown Detroit, “The Gloves Are On” was meant to galvanize support for coronavirus assistance at a time when it was desperately needed.
With absolutely zero budget, we managed to mobilize the American Red Cross and Twitter to create a powerful charitable effort with massive reach.
Then it died. The day before it would have gone live. Without an explanation.
I’m Fine.
The campaign began by sharing our image of the Joe Louis fist, mocked in a latex glove, to spread the message about the urgent need for COVID-19 support.
These would use in-app links to encourage users to donate to the American Red Cross, and would be shared through GM, Red Cross, and Twitter’s own social account.
To help the message go viral, we would encourage users to use our original gloved fist emoji to share an image of themselves virtually fist-bumping their friends, encouraging them to spread the word and donate.
Finally, when we were allowed to break quarantine, we planned to physically wrap the Joe Louis fist with a blue vinyl glove, reminding everyone of the need to keep supporting one another and stay vigilant.
CW: Myself
AD: Morgan Debrincat
ECDs: Matt Cramp, Rua Perston, and Stuart O’Neil