Verizon Up (Loyalty Program)

Case Study: Verizon Up Loyalty Program – Experiential Activation & Influencer Strategy

The Challenge: Scaling a Top-Tier Loyalty Experience

R/GA was tasked with elevating the Verizon Up loyalty program through a high-stakes, live coverage experiential strategy. The mandate required bridging the gap between “Always-On” social content and massive cultural tentpole moments (including the Lady Gaga partnership). This required complex coordination between Marketing Science (Analytics) and VM1 (Media Agency Partner) to ensure brand relevance and mass-market reach.

The Action: Orchestrating Multi-Agency Activations

As the Program Manager, I established and led a dedicated cross-functional activation team to manage the end-to-end delivery of the loyalty program’s social and digital ecosystem.

  • Strategic Integration: Facilitated the “Mark Sci” (Marketing Science) integration to ensure every creative asset was backed by data-driven insights.

  • Agency Partnership Management: Acted as the primary operational lead between R/GA and VM1, aligning media spend with creative execution to maximize ROI.

  • Influencer & Talent Management: Managed the operational workflow for “Always-On” influencer campaigns and high-profile talent tie-ins to drive organic brand love.

The Result: Record-Breaking Engagement & High Sentiment

The activation exceeded all historical benchmarks, proving that cultural relevance drives quantifiable business results:

  • Superior Retention: Achieved a 92% viewer retention rate on Instagram Stories during live tentpole events.

  • Exceptional CTR: Click-through rates surpassed internal benchmarks by 95%, indicating high user intent and effective CTA placement.

  • Lady Gaga Partnership: Cultivated massive “Brand Love,” with mentions of the partnership accounting for 10% of all Verizon Up conversations.

  • Influencer Impact: The “Always-On” influencer campaign generated 266,000 total engagements, significantly boosting program visibility.

  • Market Awareness: Successfully moved the needle on customer perception, with 38% of Verizon customers now aware of the program and a marked increase in overall positive sentiment.

Key Performance Highlights

Metric Result vs. Benchmark
Story Retention Rate 92% Top Tier
Click-Through Rate (CTR) +95% Above Benchmark
Avg. Story Views 54K Per Activation
Total Influencer Engagements 266K Campaign Total

 



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